1. Sing Street
This is an independent feature film from (mainly) Ireland (with some funding
from the UK and the USA). Itis a musical – a ‘backstage’ musical where the
songs come naturally from the story being told. It’s also a romantic comedy
– the story of a couple who look like they might not manage to be together
but are by the end.
Act 1 – Boy meets girl – Conor has to move to a new ‘rough’ school. On
his first day there he meets the girl of his dreams and pretends he’s in a
band so he can ask her to be in their video
Act 2 – first video – they put a band together and shoot a video for their
first song
Act 3 – Getting on – they write more songs, make more videos and aim
for a first big concert – and Conor and his girl kiss.
Act 4 – She’s gone – Conor’s parents are splitting up, the girl has left him
– but it all comes together at the concert when they play their big song
Act 5 – Running away together – they flee to England and the future.
You can think about the cyclical theory of narrative with this film too
Equilibrium – Conor has a reasonably content quiet life at home
Disruption – has to go to a new school > meets girl
Recognition – has to form band to try to win girl
Reaction – forms band – seems to maybe win girl, maybe not – all leads
to the big concert
New equilibrium – he’s won the girl and they leave together to start a
new life
The film’s messages and values are typical of musicals and of romantic
comedy – you can do it if you try, it’s all about the performance, it will all
come together on the night, and also about performance as ‘wish fulfilment’
– the final concert makes most of his dreams come true, at least whilst he’s
singing.
2. Sing Street’s audience is probably in the same age demographic as the other
films – 16-24, as a film about young people – but it’s got links with other
Irish films going back twenty years – especially The Commitments – which
means that there is an audience 20 years older for this as well. National
cinema (which is what ‘anything but Hollywood’ gets called) also has it’s
own ‘geographic’ audience. Musicals are more typically aimed at women
than men and so this is the one of the three films that is more aimed at
women.
