Directed by Rich Peppiatt — Screenplay by Rich Peppiatt.
Writer-director Rich Peppiatt’s Kneecap tells the story of the rise of the real-life Belfast-based Irish hip-hop group known as ‘Kneecap.’ In Belfast, we meet Liam Ó Hannaidh (played by himself) and Naoise Ó Cairealláin (played by himself), two young men who have been raised on the beliefs of an Irish republican, Arlo (played by Michael Fassbender), who has faked his own death to avoid being caught by authorities. When, one day, Liam is arrested after attending a party where drugs were being widely spread, he refuses to speak English to the authorities opting instead to speak Irish Gaelic, which frustrates the protestant authorities. Therefore they reach out to JJ Ó Dochartaigh (played by himself), a music teacher at a school that teaches Gaelic, so that he can translate the conversation at the station as an interpreter. Following this encounter, JJ, Liam, and Naoise get together to record Irish Gaelic hip-hop, perform it, and bring attention to the language that they feel is not properly recognized. This all happens at a moment in time when JJ’s girlfriend, Caitlin (played by Fionnuala Flaherty), is getting into politics to campaign for an Irish Language Act.
“Every word in Irish is a bullet fired for a free Ireland.”
In an increasingly globalized and thus, due to the need for a lingua franca, anglicized, this film’s fight for Indigenous, smaller languages is a powerful one with political and emotional weight that you don’t expect to see in what is, essentially, a music biopic starring the actual bandmembers that it is about. As someone who regularly thinks about how my own first language could eventually die out or be forever changed due to international loan words, so to speak, I was really vested in the themes of this film, and I liked seeing that it doesn’t seem to sanitize the real-life figures all that much, as they’re still very much doing criminal activity in the film. Although I did feel that certain subplots, all of which were entertaining or engaging, could’ve used a scene or two to properly tie things up, I was very happy with the narrative, the lengths it goes to so as to make its central message, and, in addition to that, the funny bone that Peppiatt’s script clearly carried — this is a really funny film both from a writing perspective and in the technical execution.
Given that this is a film about the formation of a group in Ireland starring the real-life hip-hop artists that the film is telling the story of, as well as the fact that it is full of drugs, it is easy to call out that this film is essentially a blend of Sing Street, 8 Mile, and Trainspotting. The Trainspotting connection is more than just in the way it emphasizes a particular non-English culture in the United Kingdom and the way it explicitly features drugs and drug use, the film also has a similar energy that makes for a compelling watch. Editors Chris Gill and Julian Ulrichs have shaped up an exciting package here. The film features dynamic, witty, and inventive cuts, as well as drawings and scribbles on-screen that add to the film’s dynamism and make it stand out for its eccentric style.
My final note, before I wrap things up here, is that I was genuinely pleasantly surprised by the acting as at least two of the real-life trio turn in strong performances, and it’s almost a little bit of a shock that they aren’t trained actors. Of course, the film also does feature actual actors with Fassbender being a standout, but I also want to highlight Jessica Reynolds and Josie Walker, who are also quite good here. In totality, Kneecap is a wildly energetic music biopic with surprisingly competent performances, important themes, and a central message. It is a strong narrative feature debut from its writer-director.
8.5 out of 10
– Review Written by Jeffrey Rex Bertelsen.
I'm Jeffrey Rex 