Sing Street

Card over Black:

“The ‘60s never really happened in

Ireland. So the ‘80s will be the

‘60s. And the ‘80s will make the

‘60s look like the ‘50s.”

AN ALCOHOLIC.

Pre-title:

EXT. SYNGE STREET SCHOOL - DUBLIN CITY - MORNING

Two FIFTEEN year-old BOYS stand outside this rough, inner

city school on a cold, rainy morning. They are CONOR and

DARREN. Conor is a middle class kid with a posh accent.

Darren is a local boy, with a tough Dublin accent.

They are elbowed by passing STUDENTS entering the school

gates. Some of them mince past them, implying that they are

gay.

These two are outsiders.

Conor will be handsome when he grows up. While most of the

other boys have standard issue tight haircuts, Conor’s is

long and tousled. He sports two black eyes, making him look

like a panda. Darren has acne, buck teeth, braces and

bifocals. His face is a mess.

They are both looking across the road. We don’t see at what.

CONOR:

Who’s she?

DARREN:

I don’t know. She’s always there.

CONOR:

She’s beautiful.

DARREN:

Yeah. Good luck. She doesn’t speak

to anyone. Stuck-up cow.

CONOR:

Who says?

DARREN:

Ciaran Mackie from third year said

he tried to get her digits.

CONOR:

(confused)

You mean her number?

(CONTINUED)

2.

DARREN:

Yeah. No luck. He said she has a

boyfriend who’s a drug dealer.

She’s not interested any of the

boys in the school.

CONOR:

Oh yeah? Why’s she standing there

then?

Darren shrugs. Conor takes a breath, sets off, crossing the

road.

EXT. SYNGE STREET SCHOOL - MORNING

We track with him over his shoulder, arriving at a 16 year-

old GIRL, who is standing on the stoop of a HOUSE, an unlit

cigarette dangling from her purple lips. Conor stands in

front of her.

She has a great look: lots of black. Good makeup. Back-combed

hair. Early ‘80s teen-chic. She’s ahead of her time, and

anything but ordinary.

CONOR:

Need a light?

GIRL:

No. I’m trying to give up.

CONOR:

Cool. I don’t have any matches

anyway.

Silence. He doesn’t go away.

CONOR:

Why aren’t you at school?

GIRL:

I don’t go to school.

(beat)

I’m a model.

CONOR:

Cool. Like, for magazines, and

stuff?

GIRL:

I’m going to London soon. Just

waiting for my portfolio shots.

There’s no real work for models in

Dublin, you know.

CONOR:

Yeah. I know.

(CONTINUED)

3.

He thinks.

CONOR:

Oh yeah, I meant to ask- do you

want to be in a video? For my band?

GIRL:

You’re in a band?

CONOR:

Yes. And we need a girl for it.

There’s like a story. It’s called a

“Story-Board” video. You could be

the girl. In the story. If you’re

free. Have you been in a video

before?

GIRL:

No.

(beat)

Is that a problem?

CONOR:

I hope not. I’ll ask the producer.

GIRL:

Who’s the producer?

CONOR:

That kid behind me.

She looks over his shoulder, pulling onto Darren, who waves

nonchalantly.

GIRL:

When are we shooting? I’m pretty

busy.

CONOR:

Saturday after next. I can call you

with the details. If I had your

digits.

She puts the cigarette away, taking out her pen. He produces

his journal, handing it to her. She flicks through it, it’s

full of thoughts and drawings.

CONOR:

Lyrics.

RAPHINA:

So if you’re in a band, sing me a

song.

CONOR:

I’m not singing here.

(CONTINUED)

4.

RAPHINA:

What, you’ll have to sing in front

of thousands of people. I’m just

one. Sing.

CONOR:

What?

RAPHINA:

Sing anything off the radio.

He reluctantly sings a hesitant but tuneful few lines from a

popular song. She smiles. She writes down her number on the

cover. He smiles, turning back. Score.

INT. SYNGE STREET SCHOOL - MORNING

We track back with him across the street as he approaches

Darren, who can’t believe what he’s seen.

CONOR:

We need to form a band...

Freeze Frame. A loud, energetic punk song crashes in on the

track.

SONG and titles run over:

TITLE SEQUENCE - MONTAGE

A montage of news stories, rock videos, magazine covers,

headlines. It's the early eighties, and it's Ireland. Midway

through the worst recession since the 1950s.

TITLE SEQUENCE - MONTAGE

Across the Irish sea, in London, news reports see Thatcher

waving to the crowds. City boys talk into early mobile

telephones, getting into sports cars. Armani suits, and gold

cuff links.

TITLE SEQUENCE - MONTAGE

But back in Ireland: bombs in the North, petrol queues in the

South. Deserted building sites, bricked-up buildings. More

black and white, than London’s Technicolor.

INT. CONOR’S KITCHEN - DAY

We start to PULL OUT from an old TV set. The 9 o’clock news

is on. The volume turned down low.

5.

INT. CONOR’S KITCHEN (CONTINUOUS) - DAY

We find ourselves in a large kitchen. High ceilings and

rattling sash windows, in what 100 years ago was a fine

Georgian home. Now, things are a little faded. The room is

cold and unwelcoming. Very little on the shelves. A family on

a budget.

Sitting around the kitchen table are: Conor (no black eyes

yet), and his parents, PENNY and ROBERT, both in their mid

forties. They’ve just finished a meal of Spag Boll. Though

it’s more Spag than Boll. Penny fills up her glass of cheap

supermarket wine. Robert picks his teeth with a toothpick.

He is drinking a whiskey and smoking. Penny checks her watch.

They are sitting in silence, as if waiting for something to

happen. Conor is wearing a woolly hat, and his coat, indoors.

Card:

ONE MONTH EARLIER

INT. CONOR’S KITCHEN (CONTINUOUS) - DAY

Finally, the sound of someone racing down the stairs from

above. The door opens and BRENDAN, (20), tumbles into the

room carrying an ash tray, glass of wine, tobacco pouch,

rolling papers and matches. He sits down at the vacant seat,

beside his brother. Brendan has long hair, and a moustache.

He’s handsome.

BRENDAN:

This meeting has been called to

order. Pray proceed.

He lights a cigarette.

ROBERT:

Okay, so we wanted to talk about

finances. Penny?

PENNY:

What? Go ahead.

BRENDAN:

(to his brother)

This is going to be heavy.

ROBERT:

Well, as you might have noticed-

your mother and I are really

struggling at the moment, like the

rest of the country. I haven’t had

a single commission this year. Your

mother is on a three day week. It

doesn’t look like it’s going to get

much brighter.

(CONTINUED)

6.

He knocks back his drink. The kids wait for what’s coming

next.

PENNY:

So we’ve had a look through the

accounts, and we see quite a

significant saving if we were to

alter the education situation.

CONOR:

What “education situation”?

BRENDAN:

(intuiting)

He means your school. They’re

taking you out of school.

CONOR:

(excited)

What?!

ROBERT:

We’re not taking you out of school.

We’re transferring you from one

school to another.

CONOR:

Why!?

ROBERT:

We have to make some cuts to the

budget. I’d suggest taking your

brother out of college, but he’s

already dropped out of his own

volition.

BRENDAN:

(raising a glass)

Thank you Dad.

CONOR:

Cuts? I’m already wearing three

jumpers, indoors. And a hat. I read

by candlelight! And it’s the 1980s.

I’m like Tiny Tim up there!

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