Sing Street is a charming Irish comedy musical drama. It might not be available in most, if any, of the big chain cinemas, but if you are able to get to a screening then you will not regret it.

Set in 1980s Dublin a young man, Conor, forms a band to impress a girl, Raphina, and asks her to be a model in his videos. But really the film is about brotherhood, love, and music. It has a simple, small scale, personal story, and absolutely delivers on that. The film is so sweet and charming that it just leaves you with such a great feeling. The main characters are all very likeable, particularly Conor as the film’s lead. His relationship with his brother, Brendan, is such a key aspect of the film, and one that is so strong and just works really well. The film gets close to the boundaries of being too sweet film, but manages to stay the right side and keep you on board.

I thought the performances in the film were great, particularly from a mostly young cast. They succeed in bringing such youthful energy to the film, whilst still delivering strong performances, and humorous ones on top of that. You wouldn’t guess that this was Ferdia Walsh-Peelo’s first film role, given how well he leads the film as Conor. Lucy Boynton, Raphina, and Jack Reynor, Brendan, have both had experience in films before, and this helps them both support Walsh-Peelo well as the three main leads. Reynor in particular steals many of the scenes that he’s in. But with these three young actors, the film has some great talent, and that really shines through.

Obviously being a musical the songs play a big part in this. They are normally brought in through either the medium of filming a music video or through a live performance, which obviously feels a lot more natural than most musical films. Gary Clark with John Carney, the films director, wrote all the original material and it really fits with the feel of the film as a whole. The vocal talents of the young Walsh-Peelo also have to be commended. Alongside this there is a great soundtrack of 80s music, including the likes of The Cure, Duran Duran, and The Clash. Some of the great visual moments include Conor coming into school dressed like different members of the bands he’s being inspired by, such as Robert Smith. Also you can’t go wrong with a film that delivers quotes like “no woman can love a man who listens to Phil Collins”.

I really encourage you, if you can get to a cinema that is screening it, to see Sing Street whilst it is still being shown. It is such a great film, and I hope as many people as possible see it.

10/10