Playing off a rap group’s name derived from a brutal Irish paramilitary practice, the movie Kneecap displays a thumb to nose attitude towards authority and staid tradition. Writer-director Rich Peppiatt mines the rise of Belfast’s real-life sensation, whose first album in 2018 covers drugs and the hard life in the Ulster Irish language rather than English. The trio’s name comes from the practice called “kneecapping,” a punishment that left injured joints for troublemakers. As their number “Get Your Brits Out” indicates, Kneecap’s members make their politics clear, with one wearing the message not on his sleeve, but on his bare butt. Director Peppiatt, who previously helped Kneecap’s “Guilty Conscience” music video captures the group in a cacophony of colors and images. He skillfully blends imagery as one character’s facial expression blends into another, sometimes with professional actors like Michael Fassbinder and others from real life including the group’s three members, who read the screenplay’s narration. A fast-moving
camera and garish lighting create wild energy, while dialogue and narration showcase a sarcastic, tongue-in-cheek attitude that often covers serious territory. As either movie or group, Kneecap emphasizes major issues like language, noting “every word of Irish spoken is a bullet for Irish freedom.” Displaying no hesitancy to hide or offend, Kneecap’s jutted middle finger approach comes off with engaging energy and sincerity.
Comments