Kneecap
Written and directed by Rich Peppiatt
Starring Liam Óg "Mo Chara" Ó hAnnaidh, Naoise "Móglaí Bap" Ó Cairealláin, JJ "DJ Próvaí" Ó Dochartaigh, Josie Walker and Michael Fassbender
Rated R
Runtime 1 hour 45 minutes
In theaters in Ireland on August 2, UK theaters August 23

by Shah!, Staff Writer

"A country without a language is only half a nation."

In the year 2024, nothing feels more socially and culturally relevant than a film about oppression and imperialism disguised on the surface as a hip-hop comedy with sex, drugs, and profanity.

Kneecap, written and directed by Rich Peppiatt, is a film centered on an up-and-coming Belfast-based hip-hop band of the same name. The film stars the actual band as themselves, albeit in a more heightened and fictionalized version. Going into the film, it may appear to be a stylish, slick, and energetic comedy about the world of hip-hop set in a very real grounded land of Northern Ireland. Underneath the hilariously charming comedy and banger soundtrack, it's a story about the youth trying to save their mother tongue in their own unique way while the rest of the world is turning a blind eye on this oppressive social reality.

"Every word of Irish spoken.. is a bullet fired for Irish freedom."

Peppiatt’s feature debut opens with Arlo (Michael Fassbender) quite literally giving the finger to British Imperialism. The anarchic energy is present throughout the entire film. It’s very “against the man” and all about defending and preserving their native culture. We’re immediately thrust into a small town in West Belfast where we see the day-to-day life of the people in Northern Ireland. Despite not being a native Irish speaker, writer-director Rich Peppiatt wrote this story with the utmost respect and admiration for the Irish language.

In the film, JJ (played by himself), a school teacher, finds himself in orbit with two self-confessed ‘low-life scum’ Liam and Naoise (also played by the real people). Through their shared love of hip-hop, music, and the Irish language they form Kneecap. They rap in their native language, which obviously attracts the attention of everyone in town. Unfortunately, due to the content of their music promoting sex, drugs, and massive anti-British sentiments, it brings unwanted controversy. It’s easy for a comedy with such youthful and kinetic energy in to lose the nuance in its political commentary, but Peppiatt and the Kneecap gang make it their mission to never lose track of what’s being told. The film makes a great amount of effort in reminding the audience (through narrations) that they’re fighting for the rights of their native language, and preserving their heritage. It’s a constant celebration of language and culture amidst the loud music, bright colors, slick editing and excessively hilarious raunchy sex montages. 

"I feel like I discovered The Beatles. If The Beatles were shite."

As I’m writing this review, I’ve dipped my toes into Kneecap’s discography and looked at their social media to find that they truly do practice what they preach. The trio ain’t afraid in talking about current social problems and injustice. Their activism is part of their brand and it’s for the better of the world. In the film, artistic censorship plays a major part. Their voices are being silenced and their fight for justice is mistaken for violence and hate. It’s not an error in the editing room when they had a brief shot of the Palestinian flag in the film as the topics of censorship and oppression were being talked about. Such topics couldn’t be more relevant as of late — especially in our industry, where actors are fired and removed from their jobs due to their stance on current injustices happening in the world. 

Kneecap themselves are terrific in the film. It’s unfathomable to me that the main trio aren’t professionally trained actors because they’re all so natural in the film. There is a strong beating heart in the middle of these rap numbers. They’re not only saying something with their art, the guys also find purpose in life. Seeing JJ ‘DJ Próvaí’ going from a school teacher living the same mundane life to finding happiness again as a musician is truly an emotionally satisfying journey. Some of the cast include Michael Fassbender in a smaller but incredibly important role (he has a couple of great moments here that I adored), Josie Walker as a detective hell-bent on taking down the titular ‘low life scums’, and Jessica Reynolds as Georgia — Liam’s on-and-off girlfriend whose role usually fits more into the comedic side of the story, but still has a poignant purpose to the overall ‘origin story’ of Kneecap.

"No one is anyone until they are.. You are."

The film is worth the watch solely with the intent of educating yourselves about the Irish language struggles, while also having fun with the songs and just a really charming group of people that never fail to make you laugh. It’s such a fantastic example of what art can do. The film was an eye-opener to me as I realized indigenous languages are dying all over the world and preserving them is so important. It makes me think of Mark Ruffalo’s recent effort in dubbing ‘The Avengers’ in the Lakota indigenous language. If we’re constantly aware of the indigenous communities, the world would be a much better and more inclusive place. Kneecap also made history at this year’s Sundance as it was the first film in the Irish language to premiere at the film festival. That just brings a smile to my face.

"Stories are built from language. Nations are built from stories. This is our story."

Rich Peppiatt has such a great sense of style and taste in filmmaking where he manages to execute every scene in such an exciting fresh way that it makes for a great film. I’m looking forward to seeing what he does next and if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be listening to some Kneecap bangers now.