Kneecap 18

Next showing

Wed 18 Sep
- 17.40

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Wed 18 Sep
- 17.40
Thu 19 Sep
- 18.10

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An Irish rap group rails against British imperialism in Rich Peppiatt’s (One Rogue Reporter) riotous, unruly comic docudrama Kneecap. An exhilarating origin story for the real-life Belfast-based band of the title, combining fact and a liberal helping of fiction, it’s enthusiastically performed by the rappers themselves backed by Irish actors including Michael Fassbender, Josie Walker and Simone Kirby.

West Belfast, 2019: After a meet-cute, two working-class drug dealers, Naoise Ó Cairealláin and Liam Óg Ó Hannaidh team up with schoolteacher JJ Ó Dochartaigh to form a hip-hop group. Rapping mainly in Irish Gaelic in line with their proud republican ethos, their verses combine lurid tales of sex and drugs with polemic and rebellion against authority, riling up Irish radio and unionist politicians alike.

Following the group through drug binges (drawn in fantastical sequences recalling Danny Boyle’s Trainspotting), PSNI run-ins, cross-community mud-slinging and anarchic sell-out gigs, Kneecap is a rags-to-riches tale that’s steeped in local lore and laughs drawn from the absurdity of history, while also highlighting the ongoing battle to save the Irish language.