Sing Street is a 2016 Irish music drama directed by Josh Carney stars Ferdia Walsh Peelo, Lucy Boynton and Jack Reynor. It was a Golden Globe nominee, winning American awards for Best Original Score and Best Soundtrack, with Reynor winning the Irish Film & Television Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.

Dealing with family tensions and financial difficulties in 1985 Dublin, a bright-eyed young teenager, Conor (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo) is learning to cope in a new school with a strict and hostile atmosphere, where he meets aloof but charming girl Raphina (Lucy Boyton), and in order to get her attention, he invites her to take part in the video for his upcoming band and she agrees!

Conor and his new friend recruit band members, one of whom is Eamon, a gifted musician. Thanks to Eamon’s father’s job as a covers band leader, the newly formed ‘Sing Street’ has practice space and instruments and begins playing 1980s covers until Conor’s brother Brendan encourages him to create an original style by creating original songs. Conor’s first song is ‘The Riddle of the Model’, inspired by Raphina.

Conor grows closer to Raphina after recognising that her home life is far from ideal, but her positive philosophical approach to life attempts to helps Conor, now dubbed ‘Cosmo’, improve his image.

Things begin to look good – the band gets its first gig at the school dance and combine exam preparations with rehearsals, having made another video for their newest song, ‘A Beautiful Sea’.

Further serious troubles at home affect Cosmo’s brother, and Cosmo’s deeper look into his relationship with Raphina causes them to break up.

The school gig takes place anyway, and the band plays their final song ‘Brown Shoes’ to an excited crowd.

Carney’s ingenuity, sensitivity and intuitive understanding of movie-musical constructions is demonstrated in this film – a songwriter himself, he specialises in movies about singer-songwriters who combine dreams of glory with a drive for love, connection and authenticity.

Carney successfully avoids any of the common pitfalls in this feel-good coming-of-age tale – with its irresistible optimism, charming cast and excellent soundtrack, Sing Street, a heart-melting adolescent coming-of-age that gives teenage garage bands everywhere a good name, will make audiences laugh, cry, and leave the cinema humming its soundtrack for weeks. Reviewers have described it as a genuine, utter delight.