Kneecap – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

KNEECAP – Review by Jennifer Green

September 3, 2024 Jennifer Green hip hop, irish films, Irish Language Law, JJ Ó Dochartaigh, Kneecap, Liam Óg Ó Hannaidh, michael fassbender, Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap, Naoise Ó Cairealláin, Rich Peppiatt, Ryan Kernaghan

It’s rare that a film can be edgy and entertaining, and at the same time educational. Ireland’s early submission to the International Oscar race, Kneecap is an in-your-face romp packed with sex, drugs and Irish hip hop, starring the real-life members of the band at its heart. It might be a tough sell to aging Academy voters, but it’s a raucously fun ride, and one with a serious message about preservation of the Irish language and the impact years of fighting has had on the Irish people.

Festivals Reviews

KNEECAP (Melbourne IFF 2024) – Review by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas

August 20, 2024August 20, 2024 Alexandra Heller-Nicholas DJ Próvaí, Gaeilge, J.J. Ó Dochartaigh, Kneecap, Liam Óg Ó Hannaidh, Melbourne IFF 2024, michael fassbender, Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap, Naoise Ó Cairealláin, Rich Peppiatt, sony classics

Belfast lads Liam Óg Ó Hannaidh and Naoise Ó Cairealláin are charming nogoodniks suddenly put on a mission when fate teams them up with until-then meek schoolteacher J.J. Ó Dochartaigh. That mission? To save, protect and champion the indigenous Gaeilge language, which becomes both a badge of honour and a fiercely wielded marker of identity when brought to life in the intoxicating music of their newfound hip-hop act, Kneecap. Performing under the names Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap and DJ Próvaí, the trio become the unlikely heroes of a passionate cultural movement to save Gaeilge.