Sing Street – Directed by John Carney

When you are studying film it is important to think about the

following:
The role of the director: (John Carney)
The setting – The time and the place
The cast/characters and how they develop and change in the course
of the film
Camera angles, close up, long shot, panning etc
Lighting – light v’s darkness
Music/soundtrack
*The opening of the film
*The ending of the film

Teacher Caroline
*Key moments are really important and you will have to refer to
them in your answer
Your personal opinion is really important when it comes to all of your
answering, remember that ‘I’ should be at the heart of all of your
answers.
Review of the film – you will have to be able to write a review of the
film.
Characters
Conor Lawlor (Cosmo) – the main character in the film. Conor lives in
Dublin with his brother, sister and parents who don’t get along. He is
fifteen years old and his parents announce due to the recession that
they have to make cuts
Raphina – The girl that Conor is in love with (the model), we discover
that Raphina has had a difficult home life, her father is dead and her
mother is a manic depressive who is in and out of hospital, she lacks
stability in her life. She lives in a home for girls and we discover that
it is a good environment compared to some of the places she has
lived in. We discover in a key moment that she has been abused by
her father, the way that it is dealt with is so subtle, it is something
that isn’t talked about in society really and certainly wasn’t in the
1980’s.
Eamon- the song writer who loves rabbits, his father a wedding
singer is drying out in St John of Gods we discover. We learn from
Eamon that his father used to beat his wife and children and
sometimes the neighbours under the influence of drink. The band
have the use of his musical equipment
Brendan – Conor’s brother who is really supportive of his music and
his ambitions. He encourages his brother by giving him music to
listen to and he critiques his music by being brutally honest.
Robert – Conor’s father
Penny – Conor’s mother – she has an affair and the family unit is
torn, the house is up for sale and we discover that Robert and Penny
never really loved each other but they became trapped in a loveless
marriage because of their religious beliefs.

Teacher Caroline
Darren- he is the manager of the band and the camera man, he is
funny and innovative and he clicks with Conor from the second that
they meet in the canteen at School. He provides some comic
moments in the film for example when he speaks to Ngig for the first
time in his house he speaks to him deliberately as if he can’t
understand him.
Ngig- is the coloured member of the band, because of him we realise
that black people were in a minority in Ireland and the boys think he
would look interesting in their band, he turns out to be a good
keyboard player but his character isn’t really developed.
Brother Baxter – the principal in the Christian Brother school. We
know that he is strict from the beginning of the film when he comes
into the class, we discover that he is really a bully when he makes
Conor take off his brown shoes and walk in his socks all day until he
gets a new pair. When Conor wears makeup to school he is
summoned to the office, there is an uncomfortable moment when
Brother Baxter touches Conor’s face commenting on his looks and his
dark figure holding open the bathroom door indicates that if Conor
steps inside something bad is about to happen. When Conor leaves
his office Brother Baxter becomes violent as he drags Conor into the
boy’s toilets and forcibly washes the makeup from Conor’s face
rendering him breathless and shaken from the suddenness and
injustice of it all. This is a key moment in the film.
Barry – he is the school bully, we learn that he comes from a difficult
home where both of his parents are gripped by addiction, he takes
his anger out on those around him. He later becomes a roadie in the
band.
Garry and Larry are the drummer and base players, they add humour
to many scenes in the film.

Teacher Caroline
How Conor changes in the course of the film

• He uses music to drown out the sound of his parents

arguments
• He moves to a Christian brother school
• He falls for Raphina the first time he sees her.
• He forms a band – and makes new friends
• To begin with it is all about Raphina but Conor experiences her
rejection and he focuses in on his band instead and the music.
• Brendan teaches Conor about music and his confidence grows
and we see his style change too.
• Conor is well spoken and this stands out in his new school.
• Conor experiences injustice and bullying in school.
• Conor refuses to conform for his new school i.e. brown shoes,
wearing makeup etc
• Conor finds his place in Syng street standing up to the bullies
Barry and Brother Baxter.
• At the end of the film Conor takes a massive leap and decides
to leave with Raphina to start a new life.
• He takes his grandfather’s boat and sails to England to start a
new life.

The opening of the Film

The opening scene of the film shows the main character Conor
Lawlor with his guitar, he is strumming to the background of his
parents argument and he uses their words as his lyrics. ‘if we didn’t
share a mortgage I would leave you… leave any time you stupid
bitch’. It is obvious that music is important to the character Conor
from the very start of the film. It is his means of escape from the real
world and what is happening around him.
The setting and costume alerts us to the fact that the film is set in
the 1980’s which is a very important aspect of the film with the
relevance of 80’s music to the plot. The opening of the film is set in
Conor’s bedroom, he is wearing a hat, coat and a scarf indoors which

Teacher Caroline
tells us that the family are possibly struggling financially. The screen
turns black with the information ‘Dublin 1985’ followed by a news
report telling us about the recession in Ireland and the reality for
young Irish people ‘many take the boat with enough to survive a few
days in London’ times are hard and people are leaving the country in
search of work and a better life. London seems like a place that
offers hope and an alternative to the everyday struggle that is
associated with life in Ireland. The screen switches again and we are
in Conor’s sitting room watching the same report on his tv screen,
this is a reminder that this is the background of the film life in the
‘80’s where money is scarce. This is confirmed when the family sit
down to discuss the financial situation.
Drink features in this scene with a bottle of wine visible in the shot
with Penny and Robert is drinking Tullamore Dew whiskey. It is
interesting that the decision has been made to sacrifice their son’s
education in order to save money but the parents are smoking and
drinking in this scene.
There is humour introduced in this scene through the character of
Brendan Conor’s older brother. He informs Conor that their parents
have decided to sacrifice his education in a humorous manner, his
directness and honesty is a source of humour or relief in the film
often at times that are difficult for the main character Conor.
It is really important to
Camera angles used in the opening of the film.
• Shot reverse shot
• Panning
• Close up
• Medium shot
• Shaky camera angle when it focuses on Brendan

Music solo ends the scene again emphasising the importance of

music in the film and we get a shot of the crest of Syng Street school
where a lot of the film is going to be set.

Teacher Caroline
Writing a review

Introduction - name the film and the director

Description – What is the film about? (no spoilers) What genre does
it fit into? Where is it set?
Evaluation – what is your personal opinion of the film, did you like it?
Why? What was good? What wasn’t good? The good points and the
bad points if there are any. The humour, the music, the costumes,
the characters.
Recommendation- Who would/wouldn’t you recommend the film
to?
Star rating - out of 5 how many starts would you give it ?

Teacher Caroline