Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsMore Than Meets the Eye
Reviewed in the United States on September 21, 2016
As one can read from the reviews here, SING STREET is a thoroughly enjoyable, "feel-good" film. Anyone who remembers the MTV-fueled 80s "modern music" scene will find plenty of nostalgia here. The new music is interspersed with 80s standards, and holds up completely..."Drive It Like You Stole It" should be smash hit in any rational universe. On one level, it's a wonderful throwback to 80s films.
But there's more to this movie than that...a fact that reveals itself more and more on repeated viewings. First of all, every character has a dark reality, that is only hinted at in the various scenes. Paying attention to the dialogue will reveal some subtle, startling insights.
More importantly, this film blurs the line between fantasy and reality in the character's lives. It's obvious in the "Drive It" performance, but it's there throughout. How much is really happening, versus what the characters are imagining? I was actually reminded of Terry Gilliam's work in that respect.
Without giving anything away, let me just ask: Did the ending (about which many have commented here) really happen the way we see it? There's a foreshadowing of the ending during the first few minutes of the film, that suggests that the outcome was altogether not what we think it is.
If none of this make any sense (and it might not since I am determined not to give away any spoilers) the movie is completely delightful on its basic level. That's one of the great things about it, and i loved it. But there's more lurking under the surface that will justify repeated viewings...
