If you feel like you’ve seen director’s John Carney’s “Sing Street,” before, well you’re not alone. This coming-of-age, music-driven film set in Dublin during the mid-80’s feels as familiar as the music that makes up its soundtrack.
The films protagonist, Conor (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo), has his world turned upside down when his parents (Aidan Gillen and Maria Doyle Kennedy) transfer him to a rougher city school for financial reasons. However, things seem to be turning around when he meets Raphina (Lucy Boynton), who he invites to be in his non-existent band’s music video.
Like many a teenage boy before and after him, he turns to his older brother (Jack Reynor) to help him pull it off.
What starts out as a ploy to get the girl quickly turns into a serious passion for Conor and his band of misfits. It also leads to a great tour of some of the 80s greatest and not so great artists, as well as some incredibly catch original music
What at first seems like a simple boy-meets-girl plot quickly develops into a moving tale of two brothers trying to improve each other’s circumstances.
While the story feels familiar, it’s never boring or predictable. You genuinely care about these characters. And while the conclusion may seem to be a straightforward happy ending, it has the same potential for heartache and struggle that you would expect when traveling from the land of childhood to young adulthood.
…just for fun:
