The Swell Season documentary

Life imitating art? Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova starred in the movie Once and while that was a fictitious tale of an older street busker and a younger musician, it was an intimate look into a real life love affair. Hansard and Irglova were then thrust into the public spotlight – maybe not as much as Hollywood couples – but even my mom knew who the couple was and followed their fairytale story.

Apparently a documentary was filmed as the two – calling themselves The Swell Season and performing with Hansard’s band The Frames – toured the world, playing in front of packed houses to people who had no idea that the singer had been struggling to make it for nearly two decades.

Not having seen anything other than the trailer, I can only guess as to the storyline but I have to believe the film showcases the meteoric rise of the couple (and their music) and the strain it put on their relationship which eventually ended even as the two continued to make music together.

The Swell Season Movie will be shown in the following locations over the next month or so.

Times Cinema (Milwaukee, WI) – 11/4-11/10
Polk Theatre (Lakeland, FL) – 11/4-11/6
Cucalorus Film Festival (Wilmington, NC) – 11/10 – 11/13
Laemmle Claremont (LA, CA) 11/12-11/13
Laemmle Monica 4 Plex (LA, CA) 11/12-11/13
Laemmle Playhouse 7 (LA, CA) 11/12-11/13
Minnesota Film Arts (Minneapolis, MN) – 11/18-11/24
West End Cinema (Washington, DC) – 11/18-11/24
Aperture cinema (Winston-Salem, NC) – 11/18-11/19
Capitol Theater (Olympia, WA) – 10/28-11/3
SIFF Cinema (Seattle, WA) – 11/11-11/17
Doris Duke Theatre (Honolulu, HI) 11/17 – 11/23
San Francisco Film Society (San Francisco, CA) – 11/25-12/1/11
The Art Theatre of Long Beach (Long Beach, CA) – 12/1/11
Edinboro Film Series (Edinboro, PA) – 2/16/12