Ten years after Sing Street first hit theaters, director John Carney is finally putting the debate over its ambiguous ending to rest. In an exclusive interview, the filmmaker revealed his true take on that iconic final scene where Cosmo (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo) and Raphina (Lucy Boynton) sail off into the unknown.
Carney, whose new film Power Ballad is set to open soon, sat down with Collider's Steve Weintraub to discuss his 2016 coming-of-age drama. The film follows a group of Irish teens in recession-era Dublin who form a band to impress a girl, only to discover the transformative power of art and music. The ending, where the young couple boards a boat for England, has sparked endless speculation: Do they make it? Or do the waves turn them back?
Carney's answer is both surprising and deeply satisfying. He imagines the scene as a fantasy music video, complete with a fictional record label credit. 'What I should have done with that scene is halfway through it, I should have had a little white text come up — do you remember the way on MTV the name of the record label would come up, and the band and the song?' he said. 'Halfway through, I think I should have done that so that you know, and you're like, "Why are there titles on the screen?" And it should have said, like, "Go Now" by Sing Street, PolyGram records or whatever, and you'd go, "Ah, this is the ultimate video."'
Carney elaborated on the fantasy element, explaining that for teenagers, reality is often a drag. 'When you're that age, you're constantly living in a fantasy world, aren't you? And reality is a pain in the ass. Reality is the gravity, or the waves, that are messing your dreams up. So I think ultimately, really, what he's in there is the ultimate pop video. And maybe they did take the boat, but I don't think they got there. But I think they got somewhere else, which is they fully confirmed the fantastic world that the movie had been sort of experimenting with.'
Carney also reflected on his earlier film Once, noting that its love story would be impossible in today's Dublin. 'All of the artists meeting in cafes, now they can't afford to live anywhere there,' he said. 'We live, unfortunately, in that weird time where this is happening to so many cities.' He even shared a humorous anecdote about buskers playing 'Falling Slowly' on Grafton Street through massive amps, missing the point of the film entirely.
Turning to Power Ballad, Carney discussed the challenge of creating a song that works both as a stadium anthem and a deeply personal ballad. The film stars Paul Rudd as a washed-up wedding singer and Nick Jonas as a fading boy band member. Carney revealed that he came up with the verse melody, but composer Gary Clark delivered the soaring chorus. 'He's the only person that I know that can do that,' Carney said.
For fans of Sing Street, Carney's revelation offers a new lens through which to view the film's ending. It's not about whether they reach England; it's about the power of imagination and the dreams that sustain us. As Carney put it, 'They fully confirmed the fantastic world that the movie had been sort of experimenting with.'
Don't miss the full conversation with Carney, where he also revisits his masterpiece Once and shares the process of crafting an unforgettable ballad with Sing Street composer Gary Clark. And for more exclusive insights, check out our first look at Chloe Cherry's new thriller.
