Irish band Kneecap spoke to MovieWeb's Julian Roman about their new film, inspired by and named after the band itself. Kneecap stars three members, each with a different stage name – Naoise Ó Cairealláin is “Móglaí Bap”, Liam Óg Ó Hannaidh is “Mo Chara”, and JJ Ó Dochartaigh is “DJ Provaí”. The young, rowdy musicians are an adrenaline rush here and in the film, which feels like a modern-day Trainspotting, one of the best films of the year.
When fate throws Belfast schoolteacher JJ into the orbit of self-professed “scumbag” Naoise William Ogg, the needle drops on a hip-hop act like no other. Rapping in their native Irish, Niccap quickly becomes an unlikely symbol of the civil rights movement to save their mother tongue.
But first the trio must overcome the police, military and politicians who try to silence their defiant voices – while their anarchic approach to life often makes them their own worst enemies. In this violent, original film about sex, drugs and hip-hop, Kneecap stars as a global rallying cry for indigenous cultures.
