Movie Review: Kneecap
If you find a theatre with seat belts, it might be a good idea to strap in. Kneecap offers one hell of a ride.
One of the early scenes of this frenetic, chimerical film is a montage of two of its West Belfast protagonists asking a medical figure for a prescription, presumably for uppers. “It’s like the trauma our ancestors have suffered has inserted itself into our genetic code…Let us pray that this medicine grants me some relief.”
In a scene of one minute and six seconds, the band Kneecap explained the rappers’ rise to fame. The trio of Mo Chara (Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh), Móglaí Bap (Naoise Ó Caireallain) and DJ Próvaí (JJ Ó Dochartaigh) burst onto scene as Republican provocateurs, putting the Irish language to dynamic, catchy beats with irreverent lyrics about drugs and nationalism. Part of the reason they begin to attract a ’slua mór’ (big crowd) is the suggestion that this just might be the “medicine” those in West Belfast need to synthesize their past.
Perhaps the same thing could be said about the movie.
Kneecap showcases a fictionalized version of the band’s origin story steeped in enough truth to make director Rich Peppiatt’s genre-bending experiment an interesting risk. The plot begins with Liam Óg and Naoise caught selling drugs at a rave, during which Liam Óg is apprehended. Refusing to speak the English language, schoolteacher JJ Ó Dochartaigh is brought into the stáisiún póilíní (police station) at night to translate Liam Óg’s Irish. Ó Dochartaigh discovers Liam Óg’s book of lyrics, and being a wannabe beat master with a home studio, helps the boys lay down some tracks.
Not slowing down for a minute, the movie follows the band’s ascent from playing in a mostly empty old man’s teach tábhairne (pub) in Belfast to rapping to sold-out crowds. Naturally, along the way they attract the ire of various parties, including the PSNI chief and the Radical Republicans Against Drugs, a comical stand-in for several of the real-life vigilante groups.
The movie is augmented by the addition of Michael Fassbender, Naoise’s father and a notorious IRA bomber who faked his own death. After telling Naoise “Gach focal a labhraítear i nGaeilge, is piléar scaoilte ar son saoirse na hÉireann é” (Every word of Irish spoken is a bullet fired for Irish freedom), he is forced to abandon his family in order to remain in hiding. The film offers just enough relationship drama between the three band members and the supporting cast around them without lingering on it for too long.
The first accolades for Kneecap have already predated its official release. It was the first Irish-language feature to premiere at Sundance, where it won the NEXT audience award. At the Galway Film Fleadh it won three of the four gradaim (awards) for which it was eligible. Not surprisingly, the Irish Film & Television Academy (IFTA) announced that Kneecap was being selected to represent Ireland in the Oscar® International Feature Film category at the upcoming Academy Awards.
Kneecap is an exciting, unapologetic adventure that will further mythologize the rap band and join the film An Cailín Ciúin (The Quiet Girl, 2022) as another modern asset of the Irish language. Anyone who has seen it can’t help but shout “go n-éirí libh” (best of luck) come Oscar season.
Bígí páirteach!
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