Learn an instrument, form a band, get the girl. . . the fantastical dream steps of many a wannabe rock star, yet the main character in John Carney’s 2016 musical dramedy Sing Street takes a slightly different route – ah, the road, or should I say street, less travelled (which, of course, is the oft misused false-title of Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken”).
Welcome to 1985 Dublin, country floundering, jobs nonexistent, an existential crisis smothering the Populus. . . a place where teenager Conor is trudging through the early part of his life (his only saving grace, music). His parents, struggling architect Robert (Aidan Gillen – Game of Thrones) and ‘cut back to three days of work a week’ Penny (Maria Doyle Kennedy – Orphan Black), are constantly bickering – eldest sibling Brendan (Jack Reynor), a dope smoking college dropout who is an inspiration to Conor, even surmises that their mom may be having an affair. Youngest Ann (Kelly Thornton) must also be mentioned, for she is the sister who is often criticized for leaving her art dreams behind to pursue architecture (like her father).
With the money woes that are hitting the nation also effecting the family, Conor has been unceremoniously removed from his longtime posh school (to save money) and has been sent to an inner city Christian Brothers school – filled with bullies, and mean priests, and inattentive teachers, oh my!
Across from the institution is a Wayward Home for Women, and frequently seen upon the steps is a striking young woman, Raphina (Lucy Boynton – Bohemian Rhapsody) – an aloof lighthouse that calls for the young men to approach. . . only for them to crash upon the craggy rocks that are the stairs.
Braver than most, Conor crosses the Rubicon (a fateful decision that there is no coming back from), and, by Rubicon, I mean the street, pitching the girl, who claims she is a model, a gig in his band’s music video. . . only problem, he does not have a band, or any friends who play instruments – you can see how this goes against the whole stereotypical rock star method. Another challenge, Raphina is on-again/off-again with an older, car driving guy who has promised her that he will take her to London to get her modelling career started.
With a drive more intense than a Ferrari, he sets his sights, quickly forming a band, with many thanks to his one and only acquaintance at the new school, canny Darren (Ben Carolan). Starting with the Lennon to his McCartney, Eamon (Mark McKenna) is a multi-instrument playing guru and songwriter. . . rounding out the rest of the band are bassist Larry (Conor Hamilton), drummer Garry (Karl Rice), and keyboardist Ngig (Percy Chamburuka) – the token ethnic that they hope will give more cred to the band.
A dream for music lovers, expect call backs to earlier musical moments (Raphina, challenging Conor that he is in a band, asks him to sing A-Ha’s “Take On Me” – the song will later be heard as a much more emotional piano ballad as the pair talk for the first time in the orphanage), enjoy the band’s musical evolution through 80’s music, excellent 80’s references – from Duran Duran and Joe Jackson to The Sex Pistols and Hall & Oates, the growth of music videos during this era, and cheeky dialogue – listen for quips about the Village People, Sex Pistols, Steely Dan, and perhaps my favourite moment (which finds Conor discussing Raphina’s boyfriend with his brother):
Brendan: How d’you know he’s her boyfriend anyway?
Conor: It seemed like it. Pulled off in his car, music blaring. He’s pretty cool.
Brendan: What was he listening to?
Conor: Genesis.
Brendan: He will not be a problem.
Conor: Really?
Brendan: Trust me. No woman can truly love a man who listens to Phil Collins.
Fantasy also creeps into Sing Street – a Back To the Future inspired video the band is making will come to mind, but pay particular focus on the ending (don’t worry, no spoilers here) and surmise whether this may be much like the earlier sequence – less reality than music video. . . which would give its concluding notes a different tone indeed.
A film about following your dreams (and escaping your present reality), Sing Street sounds like pure escapism, yet John Carney, who loosely based it upon his own childhood, captures the melancholy, loss, and pain found is so many broken dreams. Likewise, he takes us behind the masks people wear, showing us why they have become bullies or failed to launch – well rounded characters, even in the smaller roles. Fusing inner city woes with the magic of music, its bittersweet tone (deftly mixing hope and optimism with the fact that so many have failed to achieve their dreams) is perfectly summed up by Raphina’s definition of love: “happy-sad”. So, embrace the 80’s by setting your sails for Sing Street – it is a location like no other.