Once: How often do you meet the right person?

Once - Falling Slowly

Half movie, half musical, a low budget movie which was very successful in 2007. However, not being a huge fan of movies, I came across it just yesterday. The main roles are played by the musicians Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová who also composed and performed all of the songs and they are simply amazing! Not being familiar with the musicians before watching the movie, I initially thought it's a movie about Damien Rice as the songs and their lyrics very much remind of his style. Also the age mismatch between the main characters brings memories of Damien's Volcano. Well,I did a quick research and there is at least no official information that the movie is in anyway related to Damien Rice. The story line is very simple, there are no special effects, the main characters are professional musicians and most of the songs featured in the movie are performed in full length. 

A girl and a guy meet on the streets of Dublin. He is a 30 something street musician who fixes vacuum cleaners during the day to earn money. She is a young Czech immigrant in her early twenties who sells flowers in the streets and cleans houses to make a living. The Girl plays piano but due to circumstances she only plays pianos for sale in a piano shop. The girl  is attracted by one of the songs the guy has composed himself. She starts a conversation about the song and their passion for music draws them together. The meeting is followed by a week during which they will get to know each other better. The Girl will learn that the song which the Guy has composed is dedicated to his ex girlfriend who now lives in London. They were together for long time but she cheated on him and they broke up. However, he still misses her. The Guy will find out that the Girl is married and has a two year-old daughter. At the time though, she is separated with the little girl's father. When the Guy asks her whether she still loves her husband she replies to him in Czech "No, I love you" but she refuses to translate the meaning for him and he never learns her reply. Eventually, he decides to move to London but before that he decides to record a few songs. Since he likes her singing and piano playing, he suggests to her to make the recording together. After a very tense weekend they make the recording which is so good that It's very liked by the studio manager who was initially very sceptical of their performance. Upon hearing the songs, the Guy's father decides to give him money to go to London to pursue a career as a musician...Before departing for London, the Guy tries to find the Girl. He couldn't find her and in the end, he goes to the piano shop and orders a piano for her. He is at the airport waiting for boarding when the piano is brought to her house. Her husband is there too and they seem to have reunited. She is looking through the window probably recalling the past week.

It's one of those movies that trigger your romantic streak, very touching and very realistic. 
You keep on asking yourself what would have happened if they have met in different settings.

Soul Kitchen: Leben ist, was passiert, waehrend du dabei bist, andere Plaene zu machen...

"Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans" is the tag line of the latest movie by Fatih Akin based on a novel written by Yasmin Ramadan. A movie which makes you laught without being funny, Soul kitchen tells the story of Zinos, a Greek-German man who runs a shabby restaurant in a poor neighbourhood of Hamburg. He does the cooking himself: fries, fatty burgers, spinach with frikadele, the music is loud and weird but despite that middle-class customers are happy to have their lunch there. Somehow, Zinos manages to run both the place and his life until Nadine, Zinos girlfriend, a slim and long legged German, goes to China to work as a correspondent. At this point Zinos decides to find someone else to manage the restaurant so that he can join her in Shanhai. A series of mishaps prevent Zinos from flying half of the world to be with Nadine. First, a tax collector comes to the restaurant reminding Zinos that he has to pay his taxes. Second, health inspectors check the restaurant and give Zinos 30 days to renovate the kitchen. Neumann, an old buddy of Zinos from high school, who now happens to be a real istate agent interested in the land on which the restaurant is built, does his best to create more obstacles for Zinos in order to persuade him to sell the place. However, Zinos will not let trouble stop him, he manages to find a new chef for the restaurant whose funky cooking refreshes the image of the place and s new customers and generating better profits. As a result, the kitchen is renovated and taxes are paid back. Zinos older brother, released on parole from jail takes his place as a restaurant manager. Finally, Zinos is on the airport trying to reach his gate to catch his flight to Shanhai when he bumps into Nadine. She is coming to Hamburg for her granny's funeral followed by her new boyfriend, a short and fragile Chinese guy. While Zinos is trying to understand why Nadine had left him, his brother loses the restaurant in poker game. Will Zinos succeed in keeping his soul kitchen? Will he reunite with his girlfriend? Watch it and you will see what I mean.