Film Review - Kneecap

 

C.E.A.R.T.A 
Is cuma liom sa foc faoi aon gharda, 
Duidín lásta, tá mise ró-ghasta, 
Ní fheicfidh tú mise i mo sheasamh ró-fhada

That's a rap verse sung by a hip-hop band from West Belfast called Kneecap. If you watch the movie with the same title you will hear them singing the song. If you are an Irish speaker, you have no choice but to watch this film. It is an important and blunt film, with a crazy atmosphere and non-stop action.

The film gives us a heartwarming look at the generation from West Belfast known as "The Ceasefire Babies" who were born after the Good Friday Agreement of 1998. Although there has been no war in Northern Ireland since then, it seems that the remains of that horror can still be felt long after in various ways. You see those remnants clearly in the film as the band members and their compatriots still deal with issues of cultural equality. Although the war is long over, the struggle continues in a more peaceful way, including in the form of rap music in Irish.

It was a bold choice for the members of Kneecap to play themselves in the film. It’s no harm also having a few famous actors in the film - including Michael Fassbender.

The material for the film came while a national movement was taking place in the North of Ireland to preserve Irish and to obtain official status for it. Finally, an important act was passed in Westminster in 2022 - 'The Identity and Language (Northern Ireland) Act 2022' - which gave official status to the language for the first time. It is only the first step towards cultural equality for those who have Irish as part of their culture in the North of Ireland. You see the struggle right before the Act through the lens of the band and their music.

The Main Plot

Liam and Naoise are drug dealers in West Belfast. Naoise's father (Fassbender) is a tough republican, who told them that every word of Irish spoken is a bullet on behalf of the freedom of Ireland. They learned that lesson, and now they use the language as a fighting tool against the authorities. When Liam is being questioned by the 'peelers' (police), he only speaks Irish. The police employ a music teacher named JJ Ó Dochartaigh as a translator. When JJ reads what Liam has written in his notebook, he immediately realizes that Liam has a lot of promise. That's how, by accident, the band starts. Liam and Naoise have written a song called 'C.E.A.R.T.A.', and JJ helps them record in a makeshift studio he has in his garage. They give themselves stage names, Mógálí Bap (Naoise), Mo Chara (Liam) and DJ Próvaí (JJ), they call the band Kneecap, and they start doing gigs. Small gigs at first in pubs full of owl lads drinking Guinness who don't know what the hell is going on. But after a while, the popularity of Kneecap increases. Naoise, Liam and JJ are snorting and doing all kinds of drugs and are always on the verge of going out of control, in line with their public image, as cultural rebels and outspoken spokesmen for their generation in the North.

Subplots

There are a few other stories that are quite complex and interwoven with the main story.

Naoise's father, Arlo, has been on the run for the past 10 years. He was a member of a paramilitary group and faked his own death to escape the authorities. It is difficult for Naoise and his mother to carry on in Arlo's absence. But he is secretly in touch with Naoise. Arlo plays an important role at the end, which I will not reveal here.

Due to their obscene anti-British lyrics, Kneecap becomes controversial with the police, and in particular with Detective Ellis. She is not happy to learn that Liam is in a relationship with her niece Georgia, who is a Protestant. A few strange things then happen with Ellis and Georgia, but I won't tell more here.

And then there is the pressure group called 'Radical Republicans Against Drugs'. They want to stop the backstreet drug dealing that is going on, so they come into conflict with Liam and Naoise. Again, I won't reveal the details here.

Conclusion

The film fictionalizes the history of Kneecap. I love the central concept, which is the members of the band trying to preserve and expand their cultural rights through the use of Irish - a central part of their culture. Not only that, but they use a genre of music that suits their endeavors – hip-hop. Hip-hop artists have a long history of using the medium to express social issues – N.W.A, Public Enemy, Kendrick Lamar and Childish Gambino to name but a few. So, it's no surprise that the members of Kneecap live an extravagant lifestyle – goes with the job for such pop stars.

The band takes a fresh approach, a pioneering approach to promote the rights of the minority Irish language, and this shows that the language is alive, vibrant and important, especially in the North at the moment. Irish is part of their history and identity, regardless of their religion. As long as young people like Liam, Naoise and JJ are using the language in modern ways and preserving it, it is a cause of hope for us all. And in the South - where Irish has been the main official language of the country for a long time - we have to ask ourselves - can we do more to promote the Irish language here?

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