Sing Street — The coming-of-age for every music lover

Among the vast world of hidden and underrated gems, you can find the Irish director John Carney. He has been on a small niche's radar since On the Edge (2001). This movie made him known, but he still needed to find his voice. So in 2007, with Once, he figured it out: music. This makes a lot of sense, since he used to be the bassist of his own band in Dublin: The Frames. That movie made him prestigious and popular enough to access a more popular cast. Then in 2013 he delivered Begin Again, with Mark Ruffalo, Keira Knightley and Adam Levine (Maroon 5 lead singer), who also performed “Lost Stars”, which was nominated for Best Original Song at the Oscars. Carney had it all to call the attention of every cinephile; nevertheless, the film I knew was the one he released in 2016: Sing Street. I had no idea it would become one of my favourite films. His next film, Power Ballad, is scheduled to be released later this year; therefore, I think it’s a good idea to remember the film and why I care about this director. In this article, I will tell you the reasons why this movie is special.

A teenager forms a band in order to fit in at a new school and impress a girl.

Just like every good coming-of-age movie, every character is endearing. We see a boy trying to live his life while figuring out who he is. He has a complicated relationship with his parents but a strong bond with his brother, who is conflictive with the parents. We're introduced to charismatic and funny characters who will become friends as they become a band; not all of them have character development, but it's compensated once you realise they could have been friends of yours when you were young. All of that is completed by obstacles that we will feel involved in thanks to great character building and the empathetic performances, especially the younger actors. So many grounded characters and situations which many viewers can relate to. That's the first reason why this movie works so well.

This film is set in the middle of the Northern Ireland conflict (also known as “The Troubles”), which faced Unionists (from Northern Ireland) against Irish Nationalists (Republic of Ireland) and lasted from 1968 to 1998. In this period of violence, uncertainty and economic crisis, there were generations who just prayed for a normal life. This context can also be seen in the amazing sitcom Derry Girls. Both productions tell a similar story: teenagers trying to make the most of their lives despite the uncertainties of their world. I think that also makes this movie feel close; absolutely every single country has gone through a rough time and/or is going through one right now, while you are just trying to live and figure yourself out. Anybody can relate to this story, no matter where or when you grew up.

Of course, not everything was messy in the '80s. Every era has its dark and bright sides; if not, nostalgia wouldn’t exist. By 2016, the '80s nostalgia was all over the entertainment industry; let's not forget that same year Stranger Things came out. Just like that series, this movie works like a time capsule. The locations, technology and dressings recreate those years perfectly. But obviously, the '80s identity of Sing Street relies on the music. The characters have their influences from some of the most popular bands of that time, like The Cure, A-ha, The Clash, Hall & Oates and The Jam; they even play their own Duran Duran's Rio cover. Regardless, the original songs have the spotlight. Every song is memorable: Up, The Riddle of the Model, Beautiful Sea, Girls, To Find You, Brown Shoes and Go Now. But maybe the one that shines the most is Drive it Like You Stole it, because is a great song and its sequence also features a Back to the Future homage and the other big breakthrough of the music industry: the videoclip.

I saw this movie in 2020. During the pandemic, I watched as many great movies as I could find on streaming. That's how I found Sing Street as a recommendation on a YouTube channel. It's interesting how I discovered one of my favourite movies and finally figured out my passion for cinema in a chaotic time, and this story is about a boy finding his passion in a chaotic time. Moreover, this boy decides to pursue his dream and leaves, just like I ended up doing years later. This ending wouldn’t have felt as emotional without “Go Now”, another original song performed by Adam Levine in a John Carney film.

This movie is important to me, and months after I saw it, I figured out it was special for more people, too. It earned a lot at the box office (even if it didn’t have a theatrical release in America), and more people knew it over the years thanks to streaming. In fact, its impact turned out to be even bigger than I expected. In 2020, a Broadway stage adaptation was supposed to premiere, but due to the pandemic, the show was cancelled and moved to Boston but with a different cast. Still hasn’t gone to Broadway but did go to the West End in London. At least, the original cast of the cancelled Broadway show recorded all the songs and released a videoclip that teased how the musical would have been.

You could say many things happened because of this movie, and also many other things happened to this movie. I love that there are more people who also felt touched by this film, and I hope someday I could become part of its legacy. For now, I will keep recommending it to anybody who loves cinema, music and/or whoever is in a band or ever dreamed of having one. It may not be perfect for everyone, but it is to me. Also, it's the proof of how emotional a story could be if it comes from your most precious memories and mixes all the things you love. John Carney may not be as known as other indie directors, like Wes Anderson, but he has all my support for every new movie he makes.