Perfect Motivation To Start A Rock Band or Be In One

Rating: 10/10 (14 September 2016)

Move over School of Rock; Sing Street is the new coming of age rock musical. Here is a young lad singing his heart out for the damsel in distress. I've always thought that impressing some girls is the perfectly sound reason to form a band. There are so many rock legends who started playing the guitar simply to get attention. Loves and crushes or the loss thereof make for a strong gateway to the world of music. However, music is a seductress herself. Eventually, you learn to love it for its own sake. Don't miss this movie if you are a 80's music lover. The soundtrack is a good mix of new wave classics but it also features some of the finest original rock songs produced for a movie. They are groovy and fit in nicely with the plot. Especially "Riddle of the Model". But that's all about the music. What about the story?
Set in 1985, in the center of Dublin music scene that saw the rise of many English New Wave bands like Duran Duran and The Cure, semi inspired by synth pop acts like A-ha, Sing Street is one of the best rock music cultural tours you can find in cinema. If you've seen the documentary It Might Get Loud, you'll remember U2 guitarist Edge talking about the early days of the band in Dublin. As he walks through his high school band practice area and the places they would hang out, you get a feeling of nostalgia. Sing Street gives you the same feeling, whether you're Irish or not. Its immersed in the 80s, the education system, the dresses, cassette players, absence of mobile phones and computers, the progressive sounding music and most remarkably, the beginnings of the music video era. It's hard to miss.
Making a period drama musical based around adolescent characters is surely a bold idea, especially when most of your lead cast consists of debutants. The performances are surprisingly intrepid as Ferdia Walsh- Peelo plays the character of Conor, the aspiring teenage musician (who looks like a young Paul McCartney) serenading his muse Raphina, played by a feisty Lucy Boynton. There's Eamon, the band's multi- instrumentalist lead guitarist and Darren, the band manager/cameraman/producer. I must say that it all comes together nicely. We might be looking at a new movie band post School Of Rock. If they are really playing the instruments in the film then they should tour. There are a number of more mature actors setting the premise. For example Conor's family and his Catholic school Principal who, btw are all contributors to his torment. There are great moments with Conor's elder brother Brendan played by Jack Raynor who is a slacker and college dropout but charting his own musical journey. There are a few intense scenes like the one where Conor is forced to wash off his makeup at school or when Brendan rants about his role in clearing the path for him.
The world of Sing Street is not perfect. Its not about privileged kids or happy endings. In fact, it is filled with troubled childhoods and uncertainties. Much like the Ireland in the 80s and 90s. Yet, its a reminder of how creativity thrives in a rut. How the meanest of the people have their reasons to act as such. Sure, at some places Sing Street is predictable but it makes the movie all the more endearing and funny to watch. Teenagers smoking cigarettes, going on out-of-town day trips un-accompanied by adults and making cheap music videos on camcorders. Such great times! Of-course the young bloke gets the girl at the end but we are left with so many questions about their future. We get the sense of what adventures may lie ahead of them as the literal storm approaches. Is there going to be a sequel?