John Carney has a gift. Not simply in the way he uses music
in his films and understands its power but how he’s able to create characters
that on the surface could be dismissed as clichés but wind up having genuine
heart and soul. He’s also not afraid to
wear his heart on his sleeve, an approach that held him in good stead with Once, (2007) one of the most unabashedly sentimental but effective films of
the last 10 years, as well as Begin Again,(2013) a lighthearted tale about
the redemptive power of music.
Taking many of the same elements of these two movies but
reconfiguring them in such a way that the old becomes seemingly new again, he
gives us his third music based film, Sing Street. On paper, it reads like the kind of movie they’ve
been making since the 1930’s. A young
man, awaken by a musical thunderbolt, realizes that the only true way he can truly
express himself is through music and that he must form a band in order to say all
that’s in his soul. That a girl is an
additional catalyst is a given.
The variations on this theme are that the film takes place
at the dawn of the music video revolution and that it takes place in the
working class section of Dublin. The
Elvis Costello-wannabe in question is Conor (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo), a
well-meaning teen who’s looking for a means of escape, what with his parents’
income shrinking and their marriage falling apart, as well as having to deal
with being enrolled in a new parochial school.
A standard bully and tyrannical headmaster come free of charge.
But, the ray of sunshine that gets him through the day is
Raphina (Lucy Boynton), a young woman created to inspire music. Though a year older, she pays a bit of
attention to Conor – who takes the far cooler name “Cosmo”- when he boasts that
he has a band, which at the time is something he hasn’t quite gotten around to
forming. However, her interest is the spark
of inspiration that drives the love-struck boy to gather together any of his
classmates who show a glimmer of musical talent. That one of these newbies happens to have a
father was a musician with a house full of instruments is the sort of thing
we’d normally object to as being far too convenient. That it comes off as quirky and charming is a
testament to Carney’s deft touch
Again, there’s nothing remotely original about the film but
Carney and his cast attack it as if they’re telling the story for the very
first time. The sense of innocence the director assumes and the exuberance
these young performers bring reminds us how fresh and new the world seems
through the eyes of a 16 year-old. While
we may know how this all will end, Conor and his band mates certainly
don’t. Carney’s ability to make us see this
story through their eyes is what separates the movie from others of its ilk, as
is the joyous nature of its execution.
Sing Street’s gift is that it manages to remind us what it
was like to be young, eager and anxious for each tomorrow without having to
resort to cheap narrative manipulation.
It doesn’t tread lightly where its sense of romance and optimism is
concerned, displaying a strength in its convictions that’s commendable and
refreshing. In the end, you can’t help
but be happy for Conor and his momentary success, knowing full well that where
his first two true loves are concerned, one is likely to fade, while the other
will continue to fulfill him for the rest of his days.
This article appears in May 12-18, 2016.
