Pearl’s Hidden Gems
Volume 1
By: Brendan Pearl
I love watching movies. It’s something that I’ve loved for as long as I remember, back to my childhood when The Sandlot was on a nearly constant stream in the background of my life. And it is something that I have carried with me through all of my life experiences, something that has been a constant comfort in dealing with all the stressors of growing up and living life. There are very few movies that I watch and end up hating, and there are many movies that I watch and end up loving, so here I want to talk about those movies that I absolutely love. I’m going to try to touch on movies that I think flew under the radar or films that may not have fared very well with the critics, but were absolute hits in my mind. I don’t give a shit what the critics think about a film, I don’t care what the box office numbers say about a film, and I definitely don’t care what the Academy decides are the “Best Pictures” of the year. Hollywood is overrun with unnecessary politics and behind-closed-door deals that the audiences will never be privy to. So I’m going to talk about the only thing that matters to me, whether or not I like a movie and enjoy watching it, because at the end of the day that is what making a movie is all about: providing enjoyment to the viewer. I hope at least one person out there finds my opinion valuable and decides to watch a movie I recommend. So let’s get started.
(There will be spoilers in these blogs)
My first Hidden Gem of this newly minted blog is titled Sing Street, a movie that I would describe as fitting into the “under the radar” category. Written and directed by Simon Carney and released in 2016, Sing Street is set in Dublin, Ireland in the early 1980’s. It follows the year of a teenage boy, Connor, who is dealing with a lot of the things that teenagers struggle with. His parents’ marriage is falling apart, he has to transfer to a shitty new school to help alleviate some of the family’s financial pressure, he faces bullies in all types of forms, and he really really wants to make the cute girl who waits on her front porch every morning fall in love with him. When he first notices this cute girl, Raphina, he boldly walks across the street and finds out that she is “a model.” As most teenage boys would do in this situation, Connor lies through his teeth to her and claims he’s in a band, and as luck would have it they need a model to star in their new music video. This little white lie sends Connor on a path that completely changes how he sees the world.
From the first shot of the film, it is clear that Connor has a passion for music, one that he likely inherited from his older brother Brendan, a college dropout still living at home, who loves to smoke weed, listen to rock music, and give his parents a hard time over their failing marriage. Brendan is also my favorite character in the movie, and an excellent example of what a big brother should be. Although he seems like a burnout, Brendan once had dreams of his own, dreams that were a bit too big for him to reach. And eventually, like many adults, Brendan had to give up on his dreams when he realized they weren’t achievable, but it doesn’t eliminate the regret of never really taking the chance. All Brendan wants to see out of his baby brother is for him to take that chance.
As soon as Connor explains his predicament to his brother, Brendan immediately begins “teaching” him what it takes to be a rockstar. These lessons include watching Duran Duran music videos on MTV, hours upon hours of listening to vinyl records, and possibly the best piece of advice a young man can receive: “You don’t use someone else’s art to get a girl!” Armed with dozens of records, an acoustic guitar, and the music video to Rio by Duran Duran on repeat in his head, Connor enlists some of the other boys in his school to start their band, which they ironically name “Sing Street” after their school “Synge Street.” Connor’s outlook on life is beautifully represented in his outlook on music. When he’s asked what kind of music he wants to make, he responds that he’s a “futurist. No looking back, only looking forward.” With all of the shit going on in Connor’s life, all he wants to do is look towards a brighter future. Off the bat, you can tell that Sing Street is talented. Eamon, the musical whiz of the band, has a serious knack for developing songs and Connor does a great job of writing lyrics. Throughout the movie, Connor uses everything that is going wrong in his life to create something that feels so right, and you can hear the inspiration from his life in every song the band releases. It doesn’t hurt that nearly every song on the movie’s soundtrack is an absolute banger, featuring some of the best original songs I’ve ever heard in a film. It was an absolute crime that not a single one received an Oscar nomination, but that is a different blog for a different time.
The film’s final act begins with Sing Street performing at the school concert, and is absolutely masterful throughout the remainder of the runtime. Playing some of the songs that we watched the band record throughout and introducing new songs being played for the first time on stage, Connor and the band seem like true rockstars. Pouring out their emotions on stage, giving a big fuck you to the priest who heads their school, a kiss-my-ass to all the bullies who made fun of their artist-inspired outfits and make-up, and an ode to love for their separating parents or the “model” they want to impress, Sing Street blows the roof off of the gym. Students are dancing like crazy, refusing to bend to authority, and having a great time in a very tough time period for many in Dublin. The music gives them all a reminder of what it looks like to follow your dreams, what happens when you never look back, only forward. After the performance of “Brown Shoes”, an all-time Fuck You anthem, Connor and Raphina run out of the gymnasium and decide to truly go for it. Late at night, they head back to Connor’s house and seek out Brendan’s help. They need a ride to the harbor because they’ve decided to leave Dublin behind and sail to London, where all the opportunities are for a wannabe model and a budding rockstar. Brendan immediately agrees, without a moment’s hesitation. He knows Connor is taking a massive risk, one that will almost definitely fail, but also one he wishes he had the balls to take years ago and refuses to hold him back from that. A risk that reminds Brendan of “the fucking freight train” that he once was. So Brendan drives the pair hours away, to a tiny boat 30 miles from the coast of England, and sends them off with some song lyrics shoddily written on a piece of notebook paper. And as he watches the two sail into a rainstorm, he pumps his fists in the air and audibly cheers, because he knows Connor is going to be alright.
Overall, this film absolutely strikes a chord with me. It covers all the bases that it takes for me to love a movie: great performances, beautiful cinematography, lovable characters, a happy ending, and one of the best soundtracks I’ve ever heard in a film. It leaves the viewer feeling like they can absolutely do anything they want, that no dreams are too big to pursue. This is what makes Sing Street so re-watchable for me, I know I’m going to walk away from it in a good mood, and I also know that I’m going to have 6 great songs stuck in my head for the next few weeks after viewing. I cannot recommend this movie enough, I think it is something that everybody will walk away from with a smile on their face and something that will inspire dreamers to go out there and chase their dreams. I’ll cap all of my reviews off with a rating out of 10, and as I mentioned at the beginning I love a ton of movies so my scores will always skew high. To me Sing Street is an easy 8+ out of 10, verging on a 9. Get out there and watch it, and let me know what you think in the comments below.
FINAL SCORE: 8.8/10
