I went home sick on Monday during lunch. A good idea for two reasons: 1) I felt like crap. 2) I had time to watch “Once,” a wonderfully touching film.

As I was lying in bed, having just made a cup of my favorite lemon tea, I at first put in “Troy.” Soon I realized how bad of a movie it is and fell fast asleep. When I woke up, I found “Once.” I had never heard of it. My mom had just rented it from Blockbuster, so I figured I had nothing to lose by popping it in and watching it.

The film was very refreshing. At last, a story told from the heart, unenhanced and genuine. The shaky handheld camera follows the story of two musicians and their timid love throughout the humble streets of Dublin, Ireland.

I enjoyed the quiet nature of the film, and immediately grew attached to the relationship of the two musicians. Another thing that astonished me about this story is that the two actors actually have written and published their music, both separately and in their group.

The characters don't have names in the film. The man is played by Glen Hansard, and the woman by Markéta Irglová. Handsard plays guitar and sings, and Irglová plays piano and also sings. Together, along with a few other instrumentalists, they are members of the Irish rock band The Frames.

Hansard and Irglová are currently dating and reside in Dublin. Both are 2008 Academy Award winners. They won for best original song, “Falling Slowly.”

There are a few reasons why I think this film is perfectly simple and wonderful. I loved the filming location. The picture made me feel like these two people were the only ones who mattered, the only ones I should, and did, care about. The small world they lived in passed on by as I watched intently as the two characters' story unfolded.

Another thing I enjoyed was Irglová. On screen she appeared as such a beautiful person. I loved her Czech accent. Humble, quiet, yet somewhat outgoing, Irglová won my heart. Her face was very soft and pure, as was her character, and her character's love for music, child, and Hansard's character.

The one and single reason this film is undoubtedly touching is the music. The music is absolutely beautiful. And to see it performed by the actors is a new and compelling experience. It's truly easy listening and made me smile the whole way through the film.

Even though the two characters seem to have a flickering love for each other, they never touch. They are always there for each other, though. The ending of the film, I have to say, made me sad.

The title “Once” is saying that these two people had nothing extraordinary going on in their lives and had nothing to lose by becoming close. An experience like theirs may only happen once in a lifetime, so why not?