30/48
The first Irish-language film to premiere at the Sundance Film Festival
Plot
When fate brings Belfast teacher JJ into the orbit of self-confessed “low life scum”; Naoise and Liam Og, the needle drops in hip hop work like nothing else. Rapping in their native language Irish, they lead a movement to save their native language.. Caitlin: A country without a language is only half a nation..
Belfast is presented by Orbital
Referenced on the Film Junk Podcast : Episode 961: In a Violent Nature + TIFF 2024 (2024). I saw Kneecap today in one of the UK’s top multiplexes. Interestingly, the entire audience (all 10 of us) were in their 60s and 70s, and there was total engagement and no one left before the lights came on.
The acting was exceptional and the dark humor was right up my street
I spoke to one group of about 5 people and they all agreed on how strong the film was. I lived and traveled in NI and Ire (as it were) in the early 80’s so I really appreciated the quality of the script. I’m not a big fan of hip-hop, and you really don’t have to be to appreciate the movie, but I’ve always thought highly of Eminem and Die Answer, and it’s clear to me that the latter clearly influenced Kneecap’s sound and style as an outfit.
Based on a true story
I’ll put this on Blu-ray in due course, but I think I’m the only person in the household who “gets it”. Hopefully my kids will at least get some of the cultural references and enjoy the kick-ass soundtrack. If you get a chance, give it a shot, because this film illustrates how well a work of art can be created with a very limited budget and real actors.
