Sing Street
The third of John Carney's musical masterpieces (the others being Once and Begin Again), Sing Street is a coming-of-age story set in 1980s Ireland. The great thing about Carney's musicals is that the music and singing don't just come out of nowhere; instead, the main characters are musicians and most (if not all) of the music that is heard throughout the movie is the music that the characters write and perform.
In Sing Street Conor, the youngest of three, is forced to go to a new public school when his family can no longer afford to send him to a private school. Conor struggles to adapt to his new school, especially as he continually chooses to push back against the overly strict principal of Synge Street CBS. He makes a friend, but he also makes an enemy of the school bully. Meanwhile, tension grows at home as his parents fight and his drop-out brother adds to the family conflict by living at home and depending on his struggling parents.
Walking home from school, Conor notices a girl who does not seem interested in any school-aged boys, but he goes over to her anyways. When she tells him that she is a model, he decides to impress her by saying that he has a band and would like her to appear in his video. She agrees, and so Conor recruits students from his school to join his band. They then have to learn how to be a band, make music videos, write their own songs, book gigs, and get recording deals. In the process, Conor slowly wins over Raphina's affections.
This movie is raw and real. Love does not come easy for any of the characters. Nor do they have an easy time finding success and achieving their dreams. Nonetheless this is a movie full of youthful hope. Hope that a family can make it through the difficult times; hope that it is possible for some people to pursue their passions against all odds. The relationship between Brendan (Conor's brother) and the rest of the family was especially touching. At first Brendan seems to be a druggy and a failure. Then Conor learns that his brother also had dreams of being an artist, only their parents put pressure on their eldest to be an academic success, and he buckled under the pressure. So Brendan works to ensure that Conor does not give up on his dreams, no matter what.
The ending is somewhat ambiguous - there is no way to know how things turn out for Conor and Raphina, but they have love and hope on their side. I would watch this movie over and over again just to enjoy the soundtrack and the optimism of it.
My one question for the filmmakers is this: why would you cast the amazing Maria Doyle Kennedy in an 80s-style musical and not have her sing (not even in the soundtrack)? I was so happy to see her, but I was disappointed that her part was so small. I'm glad that there were so many talented and unknown actors in this movie - I always appreciate that - but I was still a little upset that Maria didn't sing.
In Sing Street Conor, the youngest of three, is forced to go to a new public school when his family can no longer afford to send him to a private school. Conor struggles to adapt to his new school, especially as he continually chooses to push back against the overly strict principal of Synge Street CBS. He makes a friend, but he also makes an enemy of the school bully. Meanwhile, tension grows at home as his parents fight and his drop-out brother adds to the family conflict by living at home and depending on his struggling parents.
Walking home from school, Conor notices a girl who does not seem interested in any school-aged boys, but he goes over to her anyways. When she tells him that she is a model, he decides to impress her by saying that he has a band and would like her to appear in his video. She agrees, and so Conor recruits students from his school to join his band. They then have to learn how to be a band, make music videos, write their own songs, book gigs, and get recording deals. In the process, Conor slowly wins over Raphina's affections.
This movie is raw and real. Love does not come easy for any of the characters. Nor do they have an easy time finding success and achieving their dreams. Nonetheless this is a movie full of youthful hope. Hope that a family can make it through the difficult times; hope that it is possible for some people to pursue their passions against all odds. The relationship between Brendan (Conor's brother) and the rest of the family was especially touching. At first Brendan seems to be a druggy and a failure. Then Conor learns that his brother also had dreams of being an artist, only their parents put pressure on their eldest to be an academic success, and he buckled under the pressure. So Brendan works to ensure that Conor does not give up on his dreams, no matter what.
The ending is somewhat ambiguous - there is no way to know how things turn out for Conor and Raphina, but they have love and hope on their side. I would watch this movie over and over again just to enjoy the soundtrack and the optimism of it.
My one question for the filmmakers is this: why would you cast the amazing Maria Doyle Kennedy in an 80s-style musical and not have her sing (not even in the soundtrack)? I was so happy to see her, but I was disappointed that her part was so small. I'm glad that there were so many talented and unknown actors in this movie - I always appreciate that - but I was still a little upset that Maria didn't sing.
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