I found myself watching the inappropriately titled Once again last week. Once! As if once would be enough. After repeat viewings, Mr. John Carney’s Little Film That Could looks less like a rough hewn treasure, more like a fiendishly clever construction. Simplicity is often a deceptive measure.
Sadly, I cannot foresee the day when I might develop a similar longstanding crush on Beyond The Fire, Maeve Murphy’s decidedly post-Once accented sophomore picture. A tender romance with a dark heart, the film follows Seamus, a young priest who has hung up his dog collar, to contemporary London where he searches for his former mentor, but instead finds Kate. Sparks quickly fly, but both parties, it transpires, harbour terrible secrets.
Hindered by budgetary constraints, Beyond The Fire shares some of Once’s charming, freewheeling DNA but it never really convinces as cinema. The emotional punches are delivered cleanly and effectively, but the naturalistic patter and circumstance can play like real time as opposed to ‘real time’.
Still, this is an interesting addition to the One Magical Evening subgenre – Before Sunrise, In Search Of A Midnight Kiss, Last Chance Harvey – even if it lacks the killer instincts of Silent Grace, Ms. Murphy’s formidable debut.