365 Days. 365 Films.

I read about this film on the internet while researching some good films to watch. Within the description of the movie it said that it was an Irish musical, and naturally I thought that sounded hilarious. What I imagined was a stereotypical portrayal of Ireland with a cheesy, Guys and Dolls type musical plot featuring leprechauns. I say this because I think I have only watched one Irish film before and it was incredibly poor, and while it may be incredibly unlikely for Ireland to stereotype themselves in that way, it is just what sprang to mind because really, what do you think of when you hear “Irish musical”? What I actually got, however, was a genuine and heartfelt story about a busking guitar player and songwriter who meets and falls in love with a foreign woman who takes an interest in his music. The two of them form a band and start to write songs together, eventually getting the chance to record their music in a studio.

This is very much an independent film, and by that I mean that it is not necessarily an easy viewing. I do love independent films because usually they are worth the watch, but mostly it’s an effort to watch them because they feel longer than they are, production values in general are not what you may be used to (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing) and they are often very quiet with little to no sound effects or background music. This was, unfortunately, one of those films that was a bit of an effort to watch because it was very slow moving and nothing really happened throughout. Having said that it is a moving and touching story with an appropriate helping of comedy, drama and romance.

If you can be bothered, watch it, it may not be a must-see, but if you do choose to watch it, you will not be disappointed.