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Over the last century, Ireland has fought through one turbulent time after another—fighting for freedom and fighting against organizations battling from within. And the musical dramedy Kneecap tells the story of a group who found fame by fighting for their national identity.
Kneecap was inspired by the true story of the Irish rap trio of the same name and stars the group’s members. Raised in Belfast by a radical father who insisted that his son speak Irish—because “Every word of Irish spoken is a bullet fired for Irish freedom”—Naoise (Móglaí Bap) grows up to be little more than a low-level drug dealer, hanging out in the clubs with his friend, Liam (Mo Chara). When Liam is arrested and demands a translator, he meets JJ (DJ Próvai), a music teacher who discovers a notebook full of Liam’s Irish rhymes and encourages the duo to record them.
Suddenly, these overlooked young men find their lives totally turned around in ways they never expected, all because of their inadvertently perfect timing—and that makes for a fascinating story. Out on the streets, protestors are fighting for their language—while, back in JJ’s garage studio, the trio spends a drug-fueled night recording Liam’s lyrics. And as soon as their tracks start to spread around Belfast, word gets out about these Irish rappers, and their following begins to grow exponentially—so JJ has to wear a mask on stage to keep from being identified by his students.
But, of course, their newfound popularity comes with its share of problems. The crude and sometimes highly political lyrics attract the attention of the police, the media, and an organization calling themselves Radical Republicans Against Drugs. People begin to debate whether they should support the rappers’ freedom of expression because they’re bringing their native tongue into the public eye or condemn it for making Irish-speaking people look like nothing more than low-life thugs.
While the film offers up a message about the importance of preserving languages, it does so in the wildest, most raucous way possible. This isn’t a calm and composed film about a political dispute: it’s a brash, noisy film about sex, drugs, radicalism, and hip-hop music with lyrics that you (mostly) won’t understand. Though a lot of viewers will find it obnoxious, it’s still an entertaining look at a rap group that advanced a political movement.
The greatest political influence sometimes comes from the least likely places—and that’s definitely the case here. Kneecap is an outrageous film—but one that makes an intriguing statement about freedom of speech and language.
Check your local listings to see if Kneecap is coming your way when it opens in select theaters on August 2, 2024.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
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