Yet this small, delightful film has stuck firmly in my head for two months since I’ve seen it. And I think that’s proof that details, and a real sense of hand crafting, really matter. We’re also introduced at this stage too to his older brother, Brendan, played exquisitely by Jack Reynor, who wryly sits at the family table seeing through the collapse of his parents’ marriage. At times, Brendan is as close as the film gets to a narrator, such is his economy in getting to the heart of what’s going on. Yet he evolves, as I’ll talk about shortly, into one of the film’s most memorable characters for other reasons. Sing Street never shies away from darker themes (although there’s an argument it could touch on them just a little more), from the overbearing priest at the state school to the affair that breaks down a marriage. Yet this is, that notwithstanding, one of the best feel-good movies I’ve seen in years. It just happens to be one with lots of things that stick in the mind, and little moments that make it feel all the more real. It’s also bursting with character. Whilst it’s the excellent Walsh-Peelo and Boynton who power the film (and you can’t help but root for the pair of them), Carney is careful to give added strokes to what would other be background characters. In his hands, the stereotypical school bully even has some welcome shades of grey applied. But it’s Jack Treynor’s Brendon that also sticks. In a film dedicated to brothers, he’s the character who seemingly has missed his chance, and is keen – in a very big brotherly kind of way (not in the Orwell sense) for his younger sibling to learn from his pathfinding. Treynor is flat-out excellent too, and his character arc is just as compelling as Cosmo’s. But still: Sing Street is a genuine, utter delight, and really something special. I’ve not even touched on the excellent soundtrack, or Carney’s undeniable knack for progressing character and story through songs that won’t leave your ears for weeks. Nor the knockout Back To The Future homage. The film is a treasure trove like that, bursting with treats, controlled rawness, and a distinct feel that Carney captures with considerable skill. Give this man more money, and let him make more films. Sing Street is in UK cinemas from Friday.
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