Irish Hip-Hop Group’s Story Is Showcased In Kneecap
KNEECAP opens August 2nd
Hip-hop is one of the most important styles of music in terms of creative and personal expression, as there lies a deeper meaning behind the rhymes in some of the genre’s best offerings. Kneecap is one such group whose songs come from a personal place and boast a strong emphasis on cultural pride, as reflected by their choice to rap primarily in the native Irish language. Any fans curious about the origins of their unique style should seek out their upcoming self-titled film.
It should be noted, however, that KNEECAP – which won the Audience Award at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival – is not your typical music biopic, and for various reasons which have also earned it the honor of being selected as an AMC Artisan Film. Before it hits AMC Theatres on August 2, let’s take a deeper look at the new movie.
KNEECAP tells the story of three men – a Belfast teacher named JJ, and two younger, underachieving lads named Naoise and Liam Og. Unified by a shared passion for music and their Northern Irish heritage, they form a hip-hop trio and come up with rhymes in their native tongue that suddenly make them leaders in a movement to preserve the Irish language, but also enemies to authority figures against their rebellious style.
From writer and director Rich Peppiatt – a British-Irish filmmaker who also worked with Kneecap by helming the 2021 video for their song, “Guilty Conscience” – KNEECAP is, indeed, inspired by the humble beginnings of the rap group of the same name, and its story was crafted by the trio in collaboration with Peppiatt. While it is a fictionalized and stylized account of their origins, it may end up feeling more authentic than other music biopics can boast as the musicians themselves are the ones bringing the story to life on screen.
The KNEECAP cast is led by none other than Kneecap. Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh – also known as “Mo Chara” – stars as himself, alongside Naoise "Móglaí Bap" Ó Cairealláin, also playing his own loosely fictionalized alter ego. JJ Ó Dochartaigh, who is better known as "DJ Próvaí" and usually hides behind a ski mask bearing the colors of the Irish flag, bears his face to portray the story of his transition from teaching to forming Kneecap.
Perhaps the biggest name in the ensemble, however, is Michael Fassbender, who was actually raised in Northern Ireland by an Irish mother and a German father. The Academy AwardⓇ nominee previously played an Irish character in 2008’s HUNGER, as famous IRA member Bobby Sands, following his acting debut in 2001 with HBO’s “Band of Brothers” and cinematic debut in Zack Snyder’s 300 from 2007. Fassbender also earned raves for dramas like INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS and SHAME, earned his OscarⓇ nods 12 YEARS A SLAVE and STEVE JOBS, and has starred in blockbusters like PROMETHEUS and ALIEN: COVENANT, as well as several X-MEN movies as a younger Magneto.
Handling United States distribution for KNEECAP is Sony Pictures Classics, which is a division of Sony Pictures that has primarily specialized in more independent efforts since it was established in the early 1990s. Among its more recent and acclaimed releases, there is 2023’s LIVING – another AMC Artisan Films selection, which stars Bill Nighy in an Academy Award-nominated performance as a man who decides to chase after a more fulfilling life just after learning his time is almost up.
Sony Pictures Classics also received raves for the 2024 release of DADDIO. The unique drama is essentially a conversation between an aging cab driver, played by Oscar winner Sean Penn, and his passenger, played by Dakota Johnson, who come to learn more about themselves as they get to know each other during a long commute from JFK International Airport to Manhattan.
Even audiences who aren’t familiar with Kneecap might be enticed to see the trio’s story come to life just by watching the trailer for the film. Check out the clip for yourself below:
Set mostly to the trio’s 2021 song, “Guilty Conscience,” the KNEECAP trailer starts off with a lesson in linguistics – explaining that there are 80,000 members of the Irish population who speak the native language, before introducing the three people who took up rapping as a career. From there, we gain insight into how Kneecap’s exploits would grant them fame, but also controversy, in a dizzying display of musical bliss and visually inventive dazzle.
Music lovers, film lovers, and audiences of all cultural backgrounds will love KNEECAP. See if the film is right up your alley when it comes to an AMC Theatres location near you!
KNEECAP opens August 2nd
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