A Dublin street musician and an immigrant from the Czech Republic might not be your first choice for main characters if you were to make a film, but director John Carney uses this as the premise for the new movie musical “”Once.””

That’s right, a musical. Gone are the days when the movie musical frequently graced the silver screen and titles like “”Paint Your Wagon,”” “”The King and I”” and “”Seven Brides for Seven Brothers”” were household names. Granted, our generation has had “”Moulin Rouge,”” “”Chicago”” and “”Newsies”” to keep us in touch with the film style. But “”Once”” takes a fresh approach to the musical tradition of singing and incorporates music into the plot.

“”It’s a simple story mostly driven by the music,”” said Jeff Yanc, program director for The Loft Cinema. “”Boy meets girl – it’s universal, romantic and dramatic.””

Aside from showing off great accents, the unnamed “”Guy”” (Glen Hansard) and “”Girl”” (Marketa Irglova) play guitar and piano, truly the makings of a great musical duo. Don’t be fooled by the romantic-drama theme, the melodic pair meets without the usual Hollywood fluff and sap on the streets of Dublin. They both come with a lot of baggage, but eventually wind up recording an album as they travel together along a journey they never expected to take.

Soon, a bond is formed by their mutual love for music.

“”Music is a universal language that helps people connect,”” Yanc said.

Not your typical modern-day musical by any means, it features indie rock that is actually sung by its stars. This concept isn’t too surprising when you remember that “”Guy”” is played by Hansard, frontman for The Frames.

Great music, attractive actors and a moving plot – this flick is sure to strike a chord with anyone who sees it, especially those who appreciate the attempts of filmmakers to bring musicals back to the big screen for modern audiences.

“”Movie musicals are definitely making a comeback,”” Yanc said. “”People love being able to interact with the music.””

It is fair to say that with the release of “”Once,”” the debut of “”Across the Universe,”” scheduled for release in September, and the summer hit “”Hairspray,”” the movie musical could be making a strong comeback.

“”I think people are really excited about this movie,”” Yanc said. “”They’ve been asking about it for months.””

“”Once”” plays at The Loft Cinema, 3233 E. Speedway Blvd., starting tomorrow at noon.