“It’s the perfect mixture of music and visuals,” says Brendan (Jack Reynor) of Duran Duran’s “Rio” music video in John Carney’s 2016 film, Sing Street. The same could be said of Sing Street itself; with a soundtrack made up of Hall & Oates, Motörhead, The Jam, and original feel-good songs, this coming-of-age musical perfectly blends an 80s punk rock sound with a romanticised Dublin.
The charm of Sing Street is in the depiction of 1980s Dublin. While it does show the era’s downsides, such as the toxic masculinity of all boy’s schools and the economic recession, it focuses more on the upsides like the exciting music scene and fashion trends. It’s a pleasure to see familiar spots like Dalkey Island, St. Catherine’s Park, and Dún Laoghaire pier. The way cinematographer Yaron Orback shoots these locations makes one not only look at 80s Dublin through rose-tinted glasses but also feel sentimental about the magic of our capital.
Conor Lawlor (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo) is transferred from his private school to a rough inner-city school on Synge Street (get it?) where, in between facing bullying classmates and strict teachers, he meets the Sing Street’s romanticisation of the mid-80s sophisticated, older Raphina (Lucy Boynton). To and of teenage love does not reduce it to a impress her, he decides to start a band with some of his classmates, taping music videos and playing cheesy nostalgia trip but rather adds to its witty humour and heart-warming tone. The film gigs at school discos. They frequently adapt their allows audiences to walk away feeling a sense image and sound to match their inspirations, veerof hope that isn’t curated, but natural. As we ing from the edginess of The Cure to the preppiness watch Conor and Raphina jet off to achieve of Spandau Ballet. With its heightened sense of retheir dreams, we can’t help but be inspired to ality, Sing Street is characteristic of Carney’s films take control of our own lives and “drive it like like Begin Again (2013) and Once (2007), as Conor you stole it.” transcends his bullies and arguing parents to make a path for himself and “get the girl.”
jane loughman
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