10 Great Films That Already Flew Under The Radar In 2016
6. Sing Street
Irish filmmaker John Carney, director of the critically acclaimed Once and Begin Again, takes us on a memorable trip to 1980s Dublin in his third musical feature, the story of a 14-year-old (a star-making turn from newcomer Ferdia Walsh-Peelo) struggling to settle into life at his new inner-city school.
His fortunes change when he meets a girl and offers her a spot in a music video for his nonexistent band, leaving him scrambling to find like-minded musicians on short notice. Against the odds he assembles his band, and the heartfelt music that the teens create is the backbone of Sing Street.
Just as he did in his previous two features, Carney manages to successfully tell a story through music without compromising on drama or descending into campy set-ups. As an original soundtrack full of catchy ditties captures the optimism of adolescence perfectly, so the non-musical scenes explore the insecurity of high school life, combining to make a coming-of-age story we can all relate to regardless of musical tastes.
All of this, plus the efforts of a largely inexperienced yet wholly committed cast, lift Sing Street above its by-numbers high school romance plotting and turn it into Carney's most uplifting effort yet, well deserving of its 97% Rotten Tomatoes rating.