Sing Street Page #5

Numerous photographs of Brendan are framed and around the

place. As a baby. A young boy. A handsome teenager. Etc.

Brendan was the golden boy.

Brendan turns on the TV as he and Conor take seats on the

couch.

BRENDAN:

Can we turn on the fire?

ROBERT:

No.

TV PRESENTER:

(off)

It’s Thursday. It’s 7 o’clock. It’s

Top of The Pops!

Penny enters, sitting across from her husband, drinking a

coffee. She is wearing a big cardigan.

As the charts countdown for January starts, they are a

family. Sort of.

VOICE ON TV:

“They can’t be here tonight as

they’re in the USA, so instead, we

have to go to... RIO. It’s Duran

Duran!”

(CONTINUED)

23.

On the TV, the video for Duran Duran’s “Rio” begins. Conor is

glued to the screen as Brendan lectures on the clothes,

video, song, and lyrics. Conor is an enthusiastic student.

BRENDAN:

The jury is out on which way these

guys will go. They’re a lot of fun,

and John Taylor is one of the most

proficient bass players in the UK

right now, giving them a funky edge

which I hope they’ll go with. Look

at this video!

He laughs with glee as beautiful people aboard a yacht in the

Caribbean surround Simon LeBon. The band looks good. The

girls are clad in bikinis.

At the table, Robert looks back at his sketch. He scrunches

up the sheets of paper angrily. Frustrated. Penny watches

this.

ROBERT:

Who am I kidding. Nothing’s getting

built here for another ten years at

least.

PENNY:

You don’t know that.

He laughs, pouring a whiskey, and turning towards the TV.

ROBERT:

Not exactly the Beatles, is it.

BRENDAN:

Oh, I’ll just start up the time

machine so we can go BACK in time

for dad.

He sighs. Underwater, Simon LeBon drinks a pink cocktail

underwater. The pink liquid mixes with the sea. Brendan

laughs.

ROBERT:

Well if that’s the future we’re all

screwed. Look at him, he’s not even

singing live!

BRENDAN:

It’s a video, Robert. It’s a piece

of art. Everyone is making them

now.

CONOR:

Yeah Robert.

(CONTINUED)

24.

PENNY:

(referring to Simon)

He’s very attractive isn’t he?

ROBERT:

You’re welcome to him.

PENNY:

Do you promise?

On screen, a guy in the video plays a saxophone solo on a

raft.

CONOR:

Wow, a saxophone solo.

BRENDAN:

That might date.

ROBERT:

Why can’t they get them to play

live? What are they hiding?

BRENDAN:

Because they’re in the USA, didn’t

you hear him? And this lasts

forever. It’s the perfect marriage

of music and visuals. Short. To the

point. Look at that...

He points to the screen. Hedonism and fun, in Technicolor.

BRENDAN:

What tyranny could stand up to

that?

Conor looks at the screen, transfixed. His brother has a

point. Sort of.

ROBERT:

That’s because this is the tyranny.

BRENDAN:

Oh let’s not begin a philosophical

argument Robert.

ROBERT:

Why not?

BRENDAN:

Because you’ll lose.

This winds Robert up, who is up for a fight, but a stern

shake of Penny’s head warns him off.

(CONTINUED)

25.

BRENDAN:

(quietly)

...and the thing about Barry Bray

is, he’s probably a victim himself.

Bullying is a cycle. Like with Dad.

His dad undermined him, pissed on

his dreams. So what do you expect.

CONOR:

Right.

BRENDAN:

So we gotta break the cycle. Right?

Look at these guys

(referring to the band)

Their dads fought in the Second

World War! Wore flat caps and

woolen underwear. Look at them now!

On screen, Duran Duran are the epitome of ‘80s London:

affluence, arrogance, and renewed confidence.

BRENDAN:

Barry Bray is more than likely

gay. And he’s struggling with it.

And holding you up in the toilets

is all part of that.

CONOR:

Really?

BRENDAN:

Probably. It’s not a good school to

be gay in, he’s suffering in there,

same as you. But the only way to

get him off your back is to

understand him. To defeat him, you

must firstly forgive him.

He nods, sagely, returning to watching the TV. We hold on

Conor thinking about this advice.

EXT. SYNGE STREET SCHOOL GATE - DAY

Conor walks into school. He is keeping a low profile, walking

in by the wall as the madness carries on all around him.

Up ahead, he runs into Brother Baxter. He looks him up and

down. We TILT down to reveal... BROWN SHOES.

Hold on Brother Baxter’s face. An inscrutable look. Deep

shock that his warning would be ignored.

26.

INT. BROTHER BAXTER’S OFFICE - MOMENTS LATER

Brother Baxter sits behind his large desk in his office. Very

little in this room, except a statue of the Virgin Mary, and

a cross. On the other side of the desk, Conor.

Silence.

BROTHER BAXTER:

What’s going on, son?

CONOR:

About the shoes?

Brother Baxter just nods.

CONOR:

Well, I brought it up with my mum.

But she said we couldn’t afford

another pair of shoes at the

moment. I bought these before I

knew about the shoe colour policy

here at Synge Street. But it’s not

as if these are runners or

something. They’re brown. They’re

quite sensible.

BROTHER BAXTER:

I can see that. They’re very nice.

Tasteful, as you say. But you see,

they’re not black?

CONOR:

I’m not sure... What you want me to

do. They’re shoes. They keep the

rain out.

BROTHER BAXTER:

(nodding his head)

Take them off.

CONOR:

What?

BROTHER BAXTER:

Seeing as you’re so fond of them.

You can pick them up here at four

o'clock every day until you comply

with the rules of the school.

Conor looks at him in disbelief. Is this really what’s going

to happen now?

INT. THE CORRIDOR - MOMENTS LATER

Close on a pair of stockinged feet. Conor walks down the

corridor in his socks. Kids laugh. What is going on.

27.

EXT. THE YARD - LATER

Now Conor walks through puddles in the yard. His socks are

already developing holes.

INT. ART CLASS - LATER

Conor sits in art class. This class is made up of about

twelve kids. Including Conor. There’s some interesting art on

the walls. Conor rubs his feet together, trying to keep warm.

MISS DUNNE (40s), sits on the corner of her desk. She has a

curvy figure, and a mane of dyed blonde hair. She has a

Dublin accent. She has a scented candle lit on her desk. A

few flowers in a glass.

MISS DUNNE:

Right, so most of yiz picked this

class because ye didn’t wanna do

mechanical drawing. Am I right?

Most people nod.

MISS DUNNE:

Yiz think art class will be a

doddle? A chance to get a break in

the day and scribble a few pictures

in between other classes?

A few lads nod in agreement.

MISS DUNNE:

Right, well you’re not completely

off the mark.

This gets a little laugh.

MISS DUNNE:

Art should be a break from the rest

of the world. It should never be

work. It’s kind of... therapy. But

don’t think you’re not going to

learn something in here. I’m going

to impart some information to ye,

okay? So when you’re out with a

girl at the National Gallery, you

can look at a painting and SAY

something about it. Okay?

A few nods and mutterings of acceptance. Mick Mahon puts his

hand up.

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