A boy growing up in Dublin during the 1980s escapes his strained family life by starting a band and moving to London.
“Sing Street” is a film about a teenage boy, Conor (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo), who grows up in Dublin in the 1980s. The film’s setting and era mirror my own formative years, and the parallels between Conor’s journey and my own are striking. Conor, or Cosmo as his friends call him, is in his early-to-mid teens and loves to play music; I was in my early teens and loved to make movies. There were so many personal similarities throughout the film, being awkward around girls, the pain of parents separating, finding an outlet (Conor’s was music, mine was movies) to vent frustrations, that at times, I had to think about director John Carney, and wonder if he might have been someone from my past, subtly weaving fragments of my own life into this remarkably personal story.
And that is exactly what “Sing Street” is. It is a story about dreaming, looking to the future, and not letting anything, or anyone, get in your way. Dublin in 1985 was pretty rough, and at that time, there were thousands of people leaving Ireland every year to find work abroad, and that is a constant theme throughout the movie; it serves as a backdrop to say that no matter how difficult times may be, with family and friends around you, everything will be fine.
Conor lives with his mother, Penny (Maria Doyle Kennedy), father, Robert (Aidan Gillen), younger sister, Ann (Kelly Thornton), and older brother, Brendan (Jack Reynor). With his parents constantly arguing and fighting because of financial woes, to cut costs, they inform Conor that he will no longer be attending his expensive secondary school; instead, he will be transferring to the Synge Street CBS (Christian Brothers School), an educational institution known for their fearsome discipline and use of corporal punishment. Conor quickly blends in after some bullying from a tough skinhead called Barry (Ian Kenny), and one day, he notices a beautiful young girl, Raphina (Lucy Boynton), standing across the street. When his friend Darren (Ben Carolan) tells him that she never speaks to any of the boys from the school, it doesn’t stop Conor from approaching her. Awkward at first, they gradually begin to converse, and when she tells him that she is a model, he concocts a story: he is in a band, they are going to make a music video, and she should appear in it. She agrees, and then he leaves, informing his friend that they need to form a band and shoot a music video. And fast!
Though this premise might suggest a straightforward coming-of-age story, “Sing Street” operates on multiple levels. Conor and his friends forming a band gives each of them something to look forward to and inspires hope in a time when the unemployment rate in the country was at 17%, and many were packing up and moving overseas. Their music is an outlet that allows them to take their minds off the pressures of school, parental anguish, and the possibility of a very bleak future.
As the band tries to find their musical identity, so much of the movie’s fun comes from Conor’s older brother Brendan, a good musician in his own right, trying to guide them down the musical road of life. One moment, DURAN DURAN is the hottest band in the world, so Conor and his bandmates imitate their flashy looks, complete with androgynous makeup. A week later, THE CURE is the next big deal, so naturally, their appearance changes to the signature goth look and ghoulish facade that has always been associated with them.
But underneath all the music, argumentative parents, and school woes, “Sing Street” is also a poignant love story. While Conor struggles with his own issues, in getting to know Raphina, he realizes that things could always be worse. With her father dead, her mother struggling with mental illness, and her living in a girls’ boarding school, the two quickly bond, but with Raphina constantly dreaming of moving to London to pursue a career in modeling, Conor must make a decision: follow the girl of his dreams or stay in Ireland.
While this prospect faced many back then, here, it is the catalyst that drives the film. It is the elephant in the room, always present, sometimes in conversation, sometimes in the background, but director John Carney never lets you forget that for many, it wasn’t a choice; it was a necessity. And while Conor is still young enough to finish school and go on to college before making such a life-altering decision, his perspective expands, shaped by Raphina and her own dreams, and the two decide to take the biggest adventure of their lives and go to London.
While “Sing Street” is a combination of drama, comedy, romance, and musical, its biggest attribute is its ability to charm the audience with pure magic. While playing at the end-of-school-year party, Conor’s parents have already separated, and Raphina has disappeared. Still, as Conor and his band begin playing a 1950s pop song, the scene suddenly transforms to the hall of an American high school. For the duration of the song, his parents appear, hand-in-hand, staring lovingly at each other; Brendan shows up on a motorcycle. He beats up the school bully, and Raphina finally arrives, sporting a beautiful ball dress, and for a few minutes, the world is exactly as it should be, at least for Conor; full of happiness, love, and joy. When the song ends, and we realize that nobody actually came to see him perform, it literally tugs at your heartstrings.
As an Irishman but more importantly, a Dubliner, I can safely say, with all confidence, that director John Carney has crafted one of the most compelling Irish films in recent memory. The film is comparable to another great Irish movie that was released back in 1991, Alan Parker’s “The Commitments,” a film about a group of young musicians who start up a band and the ups and downs that are associated with such an undertaking, but the musical aspects that both movies share are where the comparisons end. “Sing Street” is a vibrant and boisterous extravaganza, filled with performances of great conviction and aplomb. The cast, young and old, are mature beyond their years, and the film dares you to believe in magic again. Many of us grow up and deal with the day-to-day activities affiliated with real life, and we leave that part of us behind, but “Sing Street” reaches out to us, specifically that part that always hoped, and dreamed, and looked to the stars, believing that anything was possible. For reigniting that spark, John Carney deserves our gratitude.
Available on 4K Ultra HD™ + Blu-ray™ + Digital Collector’s Set and VHS August 11th
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