Dance to the beat of teen optimism. A unique coming of age story to captivate, reminisce and tap the feet to.

Rating: 8/10 (30 April 2020)

Very few directors dedicate so much time to creating a compelling story with original music that enhances it to the max. Not only does this movie deals with heartbreaking scenarios ranging from broken families to lost shots at pursuing one's dreams but it provides an uplifting outcome to an otherwise hard childhood. It's impactful and touching, an essay on how to write songs really.
While the movie feels like a love letter to 80s pop and what I can only interpret as a platonic representation of the Irish director's wishful younger life, the story does reminisce of those common 80s teen movies' tropes with romanticised interactions and situations like making friends, forming a band and meeting the girl when he just started in a new school. However these realistic aspects are made available in order for the real themes to take the center stage: dealing with the downsides of a broken family; thinking big, pursuing a passion and fighting against all odds; feeling appreciated, valuable and worthy of love; breaking the norms and looking to the future.
IN CONCLUSION, it will speak volumes to anyone who's going through or has gone through the situations that are portrayed in this movie and which I have briefly mentioned. Otherwise, it is a musically-beautified coming of age tale with a bit overly-romanticised aspects but with the sole purpose of providing a feel-good and endearing movie to inspire. It almost feels autobiographical, like you are witnessing the start of a band you'd love to see but then again these movies are meant to show the human side of the band behind the IPs and commerical image. However, the movie doesn't care for that but rather focuses it in using music as a vessel to expressing emotions and dealing with real life