Swelling of sudden fame not enough to carry this Season
The demon of expectation can be a killer, and it lurks all the way through The Swell Season like a Shakespearean ghost.
A “documentary” postscript to the indie sensation, Once, which featured a former busker named Glen Hansard and his sweet-voiced girlfriend Marketa Irglova as two struggling street musicians, The Swell Season follows the couple as they hit the road in the wake of their Oscar win for best original song.
From being complete nobodies, Hansard and Irglova hit the big time overnight.
This film attempts to capture that moment of being caught in the headlights, when destiny hits you like a semi-trailer, but, like its predecessor, it’s not always easy to tell exactly what’s ‘document’ and what is ‘script.’
This movie directed by Nick August-perna, Carlo Mirabella- Davis and Chris Dapkins is desperate to feel real and authentic, as it explores the personal and professional relationship between the two performers, but there’s something precious about the whole process that grows increasingly irksome.
In a nutshell, this film chronicles the effect of overnight fame and resulting search for identity. It also documents the dissolution of a romantic relationship as two friends, lovers and creative partners grow apart. For fans of the two-piece and their oeuvre, this movie will come as a welcome window into their lives and their creative process — but for anyone else, The Swell Season may leave you soggy.