A Dublin teen in 1985 starts a band to impress a girl and soon finds
​himself entranced with the endless possibilities of making music.

COMEDY/DRAMA

Sing Street (2016)

Written and Directed by John Carney

Starring Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Lucy Boynton, Jack Reynor,
​Mark McKenna, Ben Carolan, Percy Chamburuka, Aidan Gillen, Maria Doyle Kennedy, ​Kelly Thornton, Don Wycherley

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Connor Eyzaguirre

April 8, 2017

8/10

Sing Street is beyond inspiring in a way that proved to me films are still capable of changing lives. By using the backdrop of 1985 Dublin to showcase a teenager's life-altering decisions, Sing Street has an inescapable charm and quirkiness that sucks you in and never lets go. Films like this remind you that the choices you make as a young man or woman can change the course of your entire life. Sing Street shows you what happens when you make those choices for the right reasons, namely love and/or art. Sporting a remarkably talented cast of young actors and an infectiously catchy soundtrack of original tunes, Sing Street is the underground hit you'll wish you saw at the theater.

This film is, at its core, a story about Conor, a teen from a broken household who is forced to attend a rundown Catholic school with an abusive headmaster and students who bully him constantly. When he meets Raphina, an aspiring model, he lies to impress her and says he's in a band. As Conor quickly puts together a makeshift band of students, he starts writing songs about his life and his love for Raphina. Soon, the band, Sing Street, starts to mean something to him and it helps him come to terms with his own identity and get over his family's troubles. The dramatic heft that's felt throughout the film's juvenile comedy, especially in the third act, is nothing short of beautiful in the way it compliments the film as a whole. Every second just made me love it even more.

Indie films tend to be pretty special, and Sing Street is certainly no exception. After witnessing a young man realize his potential and embark on a life-altering journey, we're left with an ambiguous ending that fits. In the immortal words of Pat Benatar, love is a battlefield. Films like Sing Street show us how we can fight for what we love no matter what, be it the song in your heart or the girl next door.