Review by Amrit Rukhaiyaar

John Carney’s Sing Street isn’t necessarily a film about music or musicians, but the way it uses music in its narrative, it sure appears like one. Sing Street is a film about people, their fractured lives and unfulfilled dreams.

A family is on the verge of a breakdown. The parents are going to separate any one of these days but the children are far too independent to be mentally affected by it.  It’s surely affecting them emotionally though.

The family is going through financial crisis and so the one thing they decided to do about it is change the young son’s school and move him to a lesser expensive school. They discuss this over the dining table which is well equipped with supposedly expensive wines. This was an important character description of the parents and their misplaced priorities.

In the middle of it all, is an unconventional love story. Sing Street is a coming of age story of Conor, who forms a band, primarily to impress Raphina, a girl who looks way too mature for her age, and in the process finds a talented musician in himself.

The characters in Sing Street are not the kind we haven’t seen before, but the way they played their parts gave it an appeal of freshness. My favorite character though is Brendan, the stoner big brother with lots of rebellious wisdom. Sing Street is proper feel good cinema, which goes bit over the top a couple of times but then it has so much heart that you don’t really complain.

★★★★

Review by Kalpit Tandon

Ruptured homes, bruised egos, failed marriages, dearth of cash, binding educational systems, shattered dreams and in the middle of it all, on a lost island in Ireland, music is born. High spirited, soulful and adrenaline rushed, pure and raw, blissful music.

The cages are meant to be broken, dreams are meant to be achieved and happiness is to be grabbed. There are only handful of chances to be loved, to be admired, to breathe life, to break away from the shackles and to be free. Sing Street is a living anthem of holding onto such moments, for your life is not supposed to be contained in a mere vessel.

Sing Street is an infectious spell, a feverish dream which is innocently wild in its creativity and a fresh blast of dreamy youth. It’s insanely groovy, heartfelt, crazily high on life and pulsing with raw desires to conquer skies with all its effervescent charm.

★★★★