Magical Film

Every once in a rare while you sit in a darkened theatre, and you are confronted by beauty and a sprinkling of magic. "Only" gives that gift to the audience. It is a simple story about the first innocent breaths of love and it is told with such honesty and generosity that I talked of little else for days afterwards and there are moments from the film that are still with me. The two kids at the heart of the film are a revelation as they articulate the awkward power of being lonely and then finding someone to care about, to fall in love with. They speak to each other in half sentences and glances and stolen moments of shear joy, two kids on the cusp of growing up taking comfort and delight in each other. The acting seems so real that it is startling at times and always captivating. The film is not slick and packaged and big, it reminds me of Before Sunrise crossed with Juno, but it only adds to the charm, like it is a secret being shared with the audience. I can not recommend a movie more highly. It is imperfect and truly wonderful. We live in a cynical world where everything is faked and commercial and manipulative and blindingly glossy. This movie is a dandelion, a firefly, a first kiss, something real that warms you with a gorgeous soundtrack. It reminds us that there is beauty in art and film, and that beauty does not need to cost a fortune, it merely needs a generous heart.