Our Carousel film recommendation this month is Begin Again (2013), a charming, music-infused film from the director of Once (2006), John Carney.

As in Once we follow two broken hearts on a musical journey across a city. Dublin is replaced with New York, a bigger budget is added , with some star power in the forms of Keira Knightley and Mark Ruffalo. Both give warm and likable performances as a young singer-songwriter, and an aging producer, respectively. They’re both flailing on their own but gain energy and purpose from each other.

The soundtrack doesn’t have anything to match the emotional heights of Falling Slowly, but it’s good enough to have us invest in Keira Knightley’s character as a musician and songwriter worthy of our attention. The songs are simple but have an emotional resonance, as does Keira’s surprisingly accomplished vocal performance, her voice sweet and affecting.

Mark Ruffalo is adorably crumpled, as usual, as a once idealistic producer hoping to find an authentic talent to cultivate.

With a colourful cast of characters to round out the film, Carney succeeds in creating a community we care about.

We loved Keira’s laid back, vintage-inspired style in the film, it’s giving us some real summer style inspiration! Mixing sweet sundresses and fun blouses paired with high waist trousers, she hits the Carousel fashion sweet spot. We can imagine lots of our favourite Circus pieces fitting right in to her wardrobe.