Naoise Ó Cairealláin, the protagonist and a rapper, uses a voiceover to inform the audience that "every fucking story about Belfast starts like this." This occurs while the grainy camera shows demonstrators and troops engaging in violent confrontations. Kneecap, I am relieved to say, has no business using such worn-out clichés. Rich Peppiatt, a British-Irish writer-director, masterfully portrays the origin story of the titular rap trio, a trio consisting of Ó Cairealláin, Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, and JJ Ó Dochartaigh, successfully portraying themselves. Rich Peppiatt's predominantly Irish-language feature film is filled with energy, laughter, fizzy filmmaking, and a big heart, but it never forgets to make political points that are relevant to the story.
Kneecap is a band genesis tale at its core, as it tells the narrative of how Liam and Naoise, childhood friends and drug traffickers, are inspired to begin rapping by a local music instructor named Ó Dochartaigh. During a police questioning, Ó Dochartaigh finds Naoise's rhymes, and he acts as an Irish-language translator. Due to the fact that Kneecap is a genuine band, the music possesses a level of realism and vibrancy that is difficult for fictitious musical biopics to duplicate. In addition to the chaotic nature of the drug-fueled recording sessions, the shows themselves are exhilarating, whether they take place in a large arena or an empty tavern.
There is affecting material surrounding these noobs going viral (which, despite its truth, still feels hokey), with Naoise's father Arlo (Michael Fassbender, terrific in only a handful of scenes), a member of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) who faked his own death to avoid prison, leaving his "widow" (Simone Kirby) agoraphobic and angry. It is funny to see Liam's connection with Georgia, a Protestant character played by Jessica Reynolds, who takes political slogans as filthy slang ("No surrender!"). Liam's relationship with Georgia is incredibly complicated. There is also a mismatch between JJ and his partner Caitlin (Fionnuala Flaherty), whose efforts to have Irish become the official language of Northern Ireland are being undercut by Kneecap's popularity. This mismatch is not as prominent as it could be. Happily, all the characters have their own rewarding arc. You may also read this: The Venice Film Festival's Schedule Featured "Joker 2" Film
On-screen animated illustrations, a camera up the nose to capture a coke-snort, split screens, deepfake Gerry Adams, fast-forwarding through a brutal beating, and perhaps most importantly, an inspired use of claymation to convey the effects of ketamine are all examples of the cinematic bravado that director Peppiatt consistently injects into his work. Trainspotting is clearly an influence.
But this is not vacuous style. Instead, it’s used in the service of a compelling portrayal of ‘The Ceasefire Babies’, a neglected, alienated generation who dwell “the moment after the moment” after peace. Kneecap is ultimately a film on the value of keeping an indigenous language, how the usage of a country’s historic original tongue is not only an act of resistance but also a method of retaining a cultural legacy and identity. That it achieves this without a trace of worthiness, simply maximal irreverence, is what makes Kneecap such a delight.
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