KNEECAP

The Plot: Modern-day Belfast and the Irish language is under threat. Still not officially recognised as an official language there, this is a matter of concern for Republican hip-hoppers Naoise (Móglaí Bap) and his friend Liam Og (Mo Chara). They’re attempting to keep the language alive through their lyrics, encouraged by Moglai Bap’s father Arló (Michael Fassbender) who says that every word of Irish spoken is a bullet for Irish freedom. Their antics draw the attention of Irish language teacher JJ who gets down with their music and message, joining them and rebranding himself as DJ Próvai. However, on their tails are Detective Ellis (Josie Walker) and RRAD (Radical Republicans Against Drugs)…

The Verdict: Kneecap has been building up a fair bit of buzz since it debuted at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. Somehow, this little bi-lingual Irish film backed by Screen Ireland, Northern Ireland Screen and Michael Fassbender and starring a trio of lively Belfast hip-hoppers made a connection to American audiences who might otherwise struggle with the unsoftened local accents and very Irish humour. It’s not hard to see why it was well-received at Sundance and elsewhere, now that it’s finally made its journey home. Kneecap is a film that taps into that same vein of youthful energy that coursed through similarly impressive films like Trainspotting. While it similarly tackles more difficult themes like drugs, finding identity and the long-lasting effects of The Troubles on newer generations like the Ceasefire Babies, it does so with a vibrant purpose and drops home a message about the importance of protecting all languages, not just Irish.

Co-written by Móglaí Bap, Mo Chara and director Rich Peppiatt, it’s loosely based on the lives of Irish language hip hop band Kneecap. Around these unlikely Belfast heroes is spun a lively story involving controversial lyrics, drugs, police investigation, political interference and the sobering reality of native languages coming under threat and possible extinction. The film opens with Naoise’s narration saying that every Belfast story begins with the usual stock footage of conflict and religious violence. Not this one though. Peppiatt is more interested in telling a story of Belfast as it is now and where it might be going next as The Troubles hopefully recede further into the murky past. There’s a basic crime element used as a narrative baseline here involving the amusingly inept RRAD and the English-speaking police detective trying to catch the band red-handed. That’s only the beginning though. Upon that foundation is built a much richer story involving individualism, anti-establishment behaviour and rhetoric and the importance of free speech in tackling public wrongs like ignoring a native language.

It’s a message film by stealth in that regard, initially hidden within the more traditional architecture of a knockabout comedy thriller shot through with a distinctly Irish flavour. We’ve had plenty of those before but Kneecap sets itself apart by simply being itself and running with it through the formerly bullet-strewn streets of Belfast. The three lads in the film, who took acting classes in advance of the shoot, are real finds as actors. It’s one thing to find fame as local hip-hop singers, but a film requires a deeper connection with an audience on a narrative level. They certainly achieve that through their relatability, likeability and knowing sense of humour, backed up by a fine supporting cast as their antics and lyrics get more attention, including unwanted attention. Viewed from a certain perspective, the film could be incendiary in its approach to The Troubles. That isn’t the case here though. There’s so much goodwill in front of and behind the camera that it cancels out any such concerns. As Stanley Kubrick learned when preparing his Cold War satire Dr Strangelove, sometimes you need to take a step back from the problem and have a chuckle or two.

Kneecap will not only put the band on the filmmaking map, but it will also elevate Peppiatt. His only other feature film was made a decade ago and hasn’t made anything of note – until now, that is. He directs the film with a vibrant sense of humour, being cheeky (literally) when the film needs to be while also poignant at just the right moment. There are many stand-out moments, including Naoise being chased down the street by angry Orangemen and his amusingly irreverent relationship with Protestant girl Georgia (Jessica Reynolds). Films are either made or broken in the editing room, but the editing by Chris Gill and Julian Ulrichs is particularly sharp and on-point. The street poetry of Irish hip-hop also achieves those mic drop moments. Kneecap is a film that snaps, crackles and pops throughout and deserves to be a great success at home and abroad. Now officially selected as Ireland’s entry for next year’s International Feature Oscar, one has to wonder if its message will strike a similar chord as An Cailín Ciúin. It might be an outlier among its peers, but then that’s true to its rebel Irish spirit. Great stuff, lads.

Rating: 4 / 5

Review by Gareth O’Connor