Sing Street
2016 · Directed by John Carney
Original language: English
- romance
- drama
- music
- comedy
The story
A boy growing up in Dublin during the 1980s escapes his strained family life by starting a band to impress the mysterious girl he likes.
What it’s like
Warm, sun-streaked 1980s Dublin, all grey council estates and rain-slick streets that bloom into saturated, pastel music-video fantasy the moment the band starts playing. The camera moves with the kids: handheld and bouncy in the schoolyard and bedroom scenes, then loose and colourful for the songs, with denim, glitter and neon-pink stage light spilling across the frame. Scenes of the family kitchen and the rundown flat are shot in dull, cool daylight, so the music sequences feel like a release. The score is built on jangly, hook-heavy 80s pop-rock, and the songs carry as much feeling as the dialogue. Vibe: bittersweet, bright-hearted, a little scruffy and wistful. It suits a rainy Sunday, a comfort rewatch, or an evening when you want to be cheered up without being talked down to. Pacing is brisk and buoyant, with comedy running alongside real family strain, and the emotional arcs follow a shy, overlooked teenager learning to trust his own voice and a fraught older brother easing toward kindness. Gentle overall: swearing, teenage drinking and some sexual talk, but no violence, gore or sustained darkness. For people who want music-driven, funny, tender coming-of-age with a big heart and a lot of sincere, singalong joy.
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