Sing Street is a film by John Carney. Released in cinemas in 2016, it depicts the old-school Dublin of the 1980s, where musical culture clashes happily, between aficionados of rock, metal, pop and new wave. A rather pleasant film, depicting a colorful retro Ireland!
The story is well-written, but rather effective: we discover the dull, dreary daily life of a teenager, Conor, a high-school student who’s a bit lost. His parents are on the verge of divorce, and he is forced to abandon his private high school to discover the benches of a public one. There, everything is hostile: he endures mockery, cruel students and demanding teachers.
Everything seems against him, until he meets Raphina, a pretty local girl. Determined to impress her, he decided to form a band, despite his ignorance of the world. Convinced that he had succeeded, he promised her that she would appear in his next video. A real obstacle course begins…
Reading the synopsis, one can’t help but think of the band U2, which was founded somewhat by chance, in Dublin in the 70s and 80s, by kids with little musical experience.
The film “Sing Street” seems to have been directly inspired by the story of Bono and his cohorts, to deliver a fresh, sympathetic film set in a retro Ireland in search of cultural renewal.
The film is smooth and well-produced. It’s a good time, even if some of the scenes seem to be reminiscent of an Irish “Glee”.