‘Every word of Irish spoken is a bullet fired for Irish freedom...’
It’s rare that something completely new and fresh comes along in the world of cinema. While Kneecap takes its cues from the self-mythologising of 24 Hour Party People and the manic hedonism of Trainspotting, it is still very much its own thing. The fact that Kneecap (the band not the film) are also doing something completely new in the musical sphere (they are the first Irish language hip-hop group) is pretty extraordinary. In short, Kneecap is a true one-off…
Kneecap is a fictionalised retelling of the rise of the titular Irish hip-hop trio in which each of the band members plays themselves. So that’s childhood friends Liam (Mo Chara), Naoise (Móglaí Bap) and local music teacher and producer J.J. Ó Dochartaigh (DJ Próvaí). The film begins with Liam arrested on a number of jumped up charges and refusing to answer any questions in English, instead insisting on speaking Irish. This leads to J.J. being reluctantly called in as an interpreter – an incident which proves to be a catalyst for the success of the band.
Astonishingly, as well as being groundbreaking musicians, all three band members can act. There is never a moment in which any of the main cast doesn’t convince, aided by a quiet but commanding turn by Michael Fassbender as Naoise’s radical father Arlo (who fakes his own death early in the film but reappears at numerous crucial junctures later on.). Elsewhere, Irish actress Jessica Reynolds also excels as Liam’s hostile on/off girlfriend Georgia.
While the film is overtly political, crucially, it’s also hilarious. While it is obviously more hard-edged than say Derry Girls, in its lighter moments, Kneecap does recall the self-deprecating style of that TV show, and as with Derry Girls, the Troubles always feels like a backdrop rather than a focus. It’s there on the lingering shots of the murals of West Belfast and the graffiti-strewn walls but more than anything Kneecap wants to demonstrate there is so much more to Ireland than conflict. The key message, rather than being anything related to sectarianism, is more about the value of language and how language is linked to identity. The trio are obviously aware that singing in Irish limits their appeal but ironically it is this principal that has led to their wider success due to how much it sets the band apart from their peers.
Kneecap is not just one of the best films I’ve seen this year, it also marks the introduction to an exciting new voice in both cinema and music – an instant classic.
