Story by John Carney & Simon Carmody
Screenplay Written by John Carney
Directed by John Carney
**** (four stars)
RATED PG 13
Yes, I know that all of you are most likely out seeing the latest Captain America adventure but please do allow me to point you in the direction of something that is not only far off of the beaten path, it is also one that has sailed directly onto my personal list of one of the best films of 2016. Times are indeed becoming increasingly tougher for the smaller film to survive among the big budget behemoths and I seriously wish for this wonderful film to not slip through the cracks.
In a movie year that has already delivered Richard Linklater's raucous, astutely perceptive and deeply heartfelt "Everybody Wants Some!!" and Don Cheadle's audacious, poetic, rule breaking "Miles Ahead," we now arrive with something truly beautiful. Writer/Director John Carney, who previously delivered the lovely, Oscar winning "Once" (2007) and the criminally under-appreciated "Begin Again" (2014), now presents "Sing Street," not only his third ode to music and romance but unquestionably his finest film to date. It is a film of harsh realism combined with delirious optimism and musical fantasy, merged so effortlessly that by the film's end, you will find your heart and spirit soaring with inspiration and possibility.
I honestly do not know how Carney achieves such a feat over and again but I am now beginning to see him and his talents existing as a full blessing to cinema as movies have only continued to grow darker, more cynical and crass and driven solely by the bottom line. With "Sing Street," you can feel the adoration John Carney has for his subject matter flowing rapturously from the screen. It is obvious that he believes in every single moment he has placed on camera and every single word that he has written. And in doing so, our own levels of cynicism completely fade and we become believers right along with him. Please do yourselves a favor and head straight out to see this film for it is a glowingly special experience that just may have yo finding yourselves singing all the way out of the theater.
Set within inner-city Dublin circa 1985, "Sing Street" tells the story of teenager Conor Lalor (a thoroughly winning Ferdia Walsh-Peelo), who finds himself transferred from his private school to a rough public Catholic school named Synge Street CBS, after his family faces new financial and personal woes. Conor's Father Robert (Aiden Gillen) finds business for his architecture practice waning as well as his marriage to Penny (Maria Doyle Kennedy) failing as fights grow more frequent and he falls deeper into alcohol. While Conor's older sister Ann (Kelly Thornton) remains studios, his older brother Brendan (a terrific Jack Raynor) is a wayward, music obsessed college dropout.
At his new school, life becomes even more turbulent as Conor is the subject of torment from not only the school bully Barry (Ian Kenny) but also the unrepentant and violent school principal, Brother Baxter (Don Wycherley). After finding himself befriended by the diminutive yet clever, fast talking Darren (Ben Carolan), the twosome spot the stunning sight of an older girl standing petulantly across the street. For Conor it is love at first sight.
In a moment of pure boldness, Conor introduces himself to the girl named Raphina (a wonderful Lucy Boynton), who presents an affect of worldliness and claims to be an aspiring model. Following suit and in an even bolder move, Conor invites Raphina to play a role in the upcoming music video for his band. Except, and unbeknownst to Raphina, there is no music video because there is no band.
Not yet...
Soon, Darren introduces Conor to multi-instrumentalist Eamon (an excellent Mark McKenna), and the band, soon to be named Sing Street is formed alongside keyboardist Ngig (Percy Chamburuka), bassist Larry (Conor Hamilton) and drummer (Karl Rice), with Darren serving as producer, manager and music video director. After being creatively pushed his brother to not just play in a cover band but to actually generate his own material, Conor, with great aid from Eamon, becomes a promising songwriter. Now armed with his band, self made music and videos and emerging self confidence, Conor strikes out to win Raphina's heart and quite possibly, mend his family as well.
As with both "Once" and "Begin Again," John Carney's "Sing Street" is a rapturously affectionate film that revolves around the joy of inspiration and the supreme connection that is formulated between disparate individuals when creating music and playing together. The sequences of songwriting, performance and video making instantly took me back to my own teenage years when I served as drummer for a band and also made a short movie for Arts Week one year. For me, those times were not only confidence building but experiences where the only expectations were ones my friends and I placed upon ourselves. We were building our own worlds together and the energy that sparked between one person's talents and ideas and everyone else's was infectious. We never had any claims to what the future may have held for any of us as musicians, writers and filmmakers but we thrived just on the fact that we were being creative and inventive, surprising ourselves all along the way. Now that those years are far behind me, I can easily look back to those times and realize that those periods fully paved the way for my adult creative life as a writer and as a radio DJ. And I still carry my drumsticks inside of my daily, and increasingly ragged satchel because...you never know...
Despite those specific personal moments and emotions, "Sing Street" expertly tapped into that wider and almost inexplicable drive that the young (and I would gather any creative individuals) happen to possess when thrust into the world of creating art just at the point where they are discovering (to continuing to discover) themselves and their specific places in the world at large. In some respects, that particular spirit is fearless because there are no wrong answers, the rules and boundaries are of their own making, therefore absolutely anything is possible.
Also, and as with Carney's previous musical film entries, "Sing Street" is loaded with a collection of original songs (many co-written by Carney) that are superbly pitch perfect and fit lusciously alongside their mid 1980's counterparts by the likes of Spandau Ballet, The Cure, Hall & Oates, Joe Jackson and others. This particular tactic also served the film greatly not just through being instantly accessible and crowd pleasing songs but in the perceptive quality that showcases how budding songwriters and musicians need to crib from their sources of inspiration to find themselves as well as displaying Conor's inner life, hopes, fears, frustrations and ever growing dreams.
"Sing Street," like its predecessors is also a deceptively simple film. Yes, it is primarily the story of a boy who wishes to impress a girl by forming a band. But, the details within and underneath give the film a tangible dramatic weight, eve when the film is often flying sky high due to the music and its boisterous comedy. Yes, Conor's life as songwriter/singer/musician may have explicitly begun to impress an older girl, but what it becomes is a source of self-expression leading to growing independence, an exploration of sexual identity and rebelliousness, courage, strength and even salvation.
Carney is extremely sharp and wise to utilize the realities of 1985 Dublin as the hardened backdrop to a story this romantic. The scent of violence looms subtly in the air as does a societal sense of hopelessness as economic disparity grows larger. Carney will have these quick matter-of-fact moments where Conor and Eamon are writing songs together in an idyllic setting yet Eamon's bicycle is stolen right behind them. Another moment presents Conor and Raphna hand in hand with songs in their heart racing through the nighttime streets as a drunk citizen vomits profusely in an graffiti drenched alleyway. The songs serve as rainbows to life's clouds to be certain, but they also illuminate and inform Conor about the role he possesses in determining the course of his future.
Once Conor gets it into his head to begin a band, yet has no idea whatsoever as to what music they would even perform, he fumbles into the idea of his band existing as one that is "futurist." With "Sing Street," Conor's eventual clash with the possibilities of his own future arrive rapidly and turbulently as he is forced to face conflicts with his dreams and realities with the state of his family, his school, his homeland and even with Raphina. It is here where we realize that the core of the film is not necessarily Conor's romance with Raphina but his endearing relationship with his brother Brendan, who guides him in music and ultimately. in life via witnessing his brother's own disappointments and failings. For what sort of future does Conor wish to have for himself, and how would those dreams conform to the extremely limited environment in which he currently lives?
While the pain of Dublin realities arrive, vanish and return over and again throughout the film, Carney maintains his optimism, which is as urgent as it is clear eyed. Because honestly, what could be more daring in a world where despair is on the rise, giving into that despair or fighting against it to create a better future for yourself? The film's final moments are definitely Carney's most dramatically extreme to date, providing us with visual and emotional metaphors for the storms we all shoulder within life and how we can either face or fear them. For Carney, optimism is a defiant choice, not a defeat. A virtue, not an unrealistic hindrance. And his sense of hope and community, especially in our extremely divisive and vitriolic times is a much needed necessity.
As our hero Conor, Ferdia Walsh-Peelo is first rate in a performance that is rich, warm, vulnerable, completely involving and engaging and it also must be noted that he performs all of his own singing within the film and wonderfully so. Lucy Boynton is his terrific equal as she conveys many levels of strength and jadedness alongside innocence and a deep sadness that supplies Raphina with a palpable and realistic pathos. These young lovers conjure an angst and adolescent and romantic urgency that feeds into the music and vice versa so beautifully. You will indeed root for these kids and their friends to remain true to themselves and their spirits and to not find themselves beaten down by life. If these were real human beings that one could converse with, I believe that you would instantly wish to take each of them aside and provide them with the right amount of encouragement and support to keep them moving forwards regardless of life's obstacles.
John Carney's "Sing Street" is a triumph, a number one hit with a bullet and fully deserving of your embrace at the box office. Captain America will be just fine. He doesn't need our help. But for these talented, creative, heartfelt, love-struck kids from Dublin, just imagine where they could go with some devoted love from all of us.
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