Written by: Rich Peppiatt
Starring: Naoise Ó Cairealláin, Liam Óg Ó Hannaidh, JJ Ó Dochartaigh, Josie Walker
Rating: [4/5]
When films have the ability to both entertain and educate, it serves as a great dual purpose within a narrative. A way to shed light to an outside audience while also speaking to something those who already know can identify with and Kneecap serves as an excellent and unique example of how it looks in a thoroughly engaging manner. Symbolizing a healthy punk-like rebellion through music for a struggle that does not nearly get enough press, it sure taught me a lot and brought plenty of entertainment.
Both growing up learning Irish controversially as they live in West Belfast, Liam Óg Ó Hannaidh and Naoise Ó Cairealláin each run into issues because of their refusal to speak English. When Liam gets arrested at a party and gets an Irish translator JJ Ó Dochartaigh, a music teacher, he approaches the two young men about their lyrics and how they can form a musical group in the Irish language as a form of rebellion.
Delivering a wholly unique experience, Kneecap not only structures its film around a vibrant story about a musical group but does so by utilizing the actual individuals playing themselves. Now, electing to not use actors and have people play themselves runs the risk of failure because of the lack of trained acting at use but I could not tell if these men were playing themselves. Liam, Naoise, and JJ do a splendid job in bringing their own authentic vibrancy to a story highlighting their actual rise in prominence in Belfast and the various groups looking to shut them down.
While some English gets spoken, primarily by the loyalists to England, the primary language spoken is Irish usually does not get the spotlight. For example, I had no clue about the singularity of that language and more importantly how even speaking it within Northern Ireland served as an act of rebellion. All of this trouble goes back to the longstanding trouble between England and Ireland and specifically where Northern Ireland sits in the middle of this struggle. Very much a troubled history far outside the scope of this review, but this film certainly provided the impetus to look into it more and absorb the violent history and just how important the preservation of the language by the Irish remains. While certain elements of this feature could contain fictionalization, these bring their current experience to the table.
As historical as this film feels at the moment, this narrative all gets captured in such an electric manner. The type of filmmaking I always love to watch because it brings this propulsive energy that energizes anyone watching it. Kneecap undoubtedly has a serious topic at its center but it covers it all under the entertaining shawl of heavy drug use, plenty of sex, and profanity for days in both English and Irish. Not to reductively compare this film to a British movie, which I would imagine the stars of this film would not care for but I could never shake the feeling of how much this film had in common with Trainspotting. Certainly different in their narrative but the sheer energy and straight up disdain for authority all while including the aforementioned elements brought me back to the Danny Boyle-directed film but even then Kneecap remains unique in its own ways.
From a combination of its biting lyrics that luckily we receive translation and the way their concerts get depicted brings this ever-persistent vibrancy makes this film stand completely on its own. Their drug use that at-times alters them certainly helps in justifying its visual style but its assault on the senses make for great entertainment and really hammers home the messaging of what their songs seek to communicate. This all goes in combination with the personal journeys each of these characters go on, which includes the reluctance to fully buy into the consequences of this group for JJ, the pressure placed upon him because of his father’s legacy for Naoise, and Liam’s relationship with his British loyalist friend with benefits, Georgia (Jessica Reynolds). It all coalesces together when they perform and the following they build.
Language remains one of the most integral elements of what defines a group of people and Kneecap serves as both a real-world example of the fight to preserve the Irish language but also an incredibly entertaining film. While we get to take in their awesome music, we also see everything that involves this fight for preservation, including the violence the Radical Republicans Against Drugs bring into the fold as well. Truly a spectacle that continually builds my appreciation for its willingness to stick the middle finger up to an establishment looking to flatten out anything undesirable. The three men of this group seek to remain undesirable and will not go down quietly as their music quite rightly states.
Films with Josh 
