Movie Review: ‘Kneecap’

“Tir gan teanga, tir gan anam” (A country without a language is a country without a soul) so declared the 20th-century Irish teacher/political activist Pádraig Pearse. This belief is strongly felt in Northern Ireland – especially Belfast where, in a small neighborhood, the residents speak only Gaeilge (Irish). Once spoken in all of Ireland, the language rapidly faded from use.

A former member of the republican paramilitary, Arlo (Michael Fassbender) teaches his son Naoise (himself) and Naoise’s friend Liam (himself) their now almost completely lost language. The boys find the lessons quite fun and embrace the idea of abandoning English and speaking only Gaeilge.

Years later, the trouble is not over in Belfast. Arlo finds it necessary to fake his death to avoid arrest, leaving behind his reclusive wife and reckless teenage son. Liam and Naoise are attending a riotous drug-fueled party late one night when the police appear to arrest the partygoers. Liam escapes, Naoise doesn’t.

Questioned at police headquarters, Naoise claims he only speaks Gaeilge – the police need a translator. Enter JJ (himself), a music teacher at an Irish language school. JJ is sympathetic to the boy and adjusts his translations to allow Naoise to be released. The police want to retain Naoise’s notebook, but JJ manages to smuggle it away.

Reading through the notebook, JJ finds it filled with poignant hip-hop/rap lyrics.

He’s so moved by the words that he takes the book to his garage recording studio to set them to music. Now he needs to convince the boys to start an Irish-language hip-hop group. Their music would be a way to bring the language to a younger audience. He reminds them that if you want to release something from a display case, you need to break the glass.

They all agree and start thinking of a name for their group – something that screams Belfast. They immediately eliminate Titanic and settle on the name “Kneecap” – a nod to the infamous punitive torture technique common in Northern Ireland during The Troubles.

Since becoming the third member of the group, JJ needs to conceal his identity from the public. He is, after all, married to a prominent member of the language movement and is a faculty member at the language school. He decides to wear an orange, white and green balaclava when appearing with the Kneecaps.

Once they have organized their lyrics and music, it’s time to arrange a performance. JJ approaches the owner of a traditional pub. A gig is planned. The audience consists of a few older men sitting with a pint and puzzled looks on their faces as the music pounds away. There is one young girl in the pub however, who records the performance on her mobile phone.

Their next gig is mobbed with drunken coke-snorting teenagers – the message has been sent and received. As the word spreads, so does popular support for their movement. The number of persons attending rallies and marches also increases exponentially – they want Gaeilge to be Ireland’s official language. It remains, however, for the government officials to make this happen. They must take a vote.

Directed by Rich Peppanit (Credits: Backseat Driver, Grounded), Kneecap runs 105 minutes and is a “should see” for a look into the true story of the lives of three persons striving to continue the heritage of the Irish language and the unorthodox methods they used to do so.