Deftly fusing the sublime with the ridiculous, this ketamine-fuelled adrenaline ride through the back streets of Belfast sees the most unlikely of figureheads propelled to the front of a movement to preserve their native tongue. In a post-Troubles Belfast, childhood best friends Liam Óg and Naoise find themselves disenfranchised and uninterested in much beyond having a good time. When a chance encounter with a mild-mannered music teacher sparks the creation of the first group to rap in Irish, everything changes. The trio’s anarchic energy and lyrics reflect a resentment felt throughout their runaway train of a following, transforming their anger into a hedonistic rallying cry. But looming over the party atmosphere is the shadow of Naoise’s presumed-dead father, an IRA man of legend and infamy, and the oppressive eye of the law. Holding the same antipathy for the conventions of the music biopic as it does for colonial legacies, Rich Peppiatt’s film overflows with the fearless humour and livewire creativity that fuelled the band’s real-life ascent. There is genuine fury behind the cheeky winks and civil disobedience, but no soapbox to be found, only a beer-soaked stage and an electrified audience.
Ruby McGuigan, Programme and Acquisitions
Director Rich Peppiatt on ‘Kneecap’
How did you first come across Kneecap?
My wife’s from Belfast. We started having kids and she decided she wanted to move back. I said, ‘Look, if I’m going to do that, then I’m going to use that as an opportunity to reset, stop making adverts and focus on doing a narrative feature film.’ I moved to Belfast and within three weeks I met Kneecap.
My assumption would be that they were slightly suspicious of you, initially.
Absolutely. I went to one of their gigs randomly. I got in touch, emailed them, they ignored me for about three months. And then one day, I happened to be speaking to one of the producers of Kneecap, Trevor Birney, in his office. One of the girls that worked for him overheard me mention Kneecap. She turned around and went ‘Kneecap? I used to go out with one of them.’ And I was like, ‘What? Have you got his phone number?’ And they were like, ‘Well, yeah, obviously.’ I called up Naoise [Móglaí Bap] and said, ‘I’m the guy who’s been emailing you.’ And he was like, ‘We get lots of emails, mate.’ Within a couple of days we were having a pint. Before we knew it, we were back at their house. The scene in the garage, with all the drugs, is probably a tame version of what ended up occurring. And it was, they say now, sort of a baptism. I didn’t really know what the film was gonna be at that point. I knew I didn’t want to make a documentary, although it would’ve made more sense on paper. I had to find a way to make it into a narrative film. I was working back from that. Unsigned. Never released an album. Rapping in a language no one speaks. Why would you make a film about them? And it’s that counter-intuitiveness that convinced me.
What was your experience working with the band like?
It’s been a real labour of love. After that night around their house I signed up to Irish classes the next day. I couldn’t imagine making a film where I didn’t understand what the fuck they were saying. It was important to me to understand their connection to the language and what the language was. Irish is an oral language, unlike English, which is a written language. It’s passed down through generations through stories and poetry and music. It was very important to me that it didn’t feel like I was exploiting their story. It was a very collaborative process. I said to them early on, ‘This is not about me coming in and going, “Right, here’s a script, do what I say.”’ At every stage even to today, I always keep them involved in the decisions because, ultimately, that’s not me being altruistic, they are masterful in the way that they publicise themselves.
They can all act. Were they naturals?
No. Not at all. When I was pitching the film, it was always ‘Love the script. One question: can they act?’ And I was like, ‘They’re great, they’re brilliant’ – and I had no idea. But I just had this assumption. If they can go on stage and they can perform, then how much of a hop and a leap is it to acting? And that was stupid of me. Because it’s a huge leap. It’s a completely different skill. That was a bit of an oversight. And I thought, I need to get an acting coach. And there’s not really many acting coaches in Belfast. I got recommended a guy called Kieran Lagan, a lecturer at Queen’s University in Belfast.
Every Friday was our acting class. We were throwing techniques in the room and seeing what connected with them. There’s three of them, which is an awkward number, so Kieran said, ‘You do it as well because four’s a better number for group work.’ So I ended up doing the course with them, which was the best thing I ever did. I don’t think I’d ever really taken the time to learn the actor’s perspective on things. When you’re doing exercises, standing, staring into each other’s eyes for five minutes, that can’t help but connect you.
You won an audience prize at Sundance. Did that feel like validation?
We were still sound-mixing the film in January and it was like the cliché of running up Main Street at Sundance with the DCP [digital cinema package] on the morning of the premiere. There was no time between finishing the film and Sundance to go, ‘Right. Done.’ It was straight in and then immediately, the reception of the film, the reviews were like… ‘Oh fuck, this has gone really well.’ It was this whirlwind. Suddenly, agents, managers, you get swept off and you’re being flown to LA and doing all these meetings and you’re walking around studio lots. There was no time to process it. In a way, I still don’t think I have. When we made this film, we just wanted it to land with a Belfast audience really.
How did Michael Fassbender get involved?
Getting Fassbender was a real coup, but I think for him, one of the things that connected with him in the script was this idea that he played Bobby Sands in Hunger [2008], and he’s revered in the north for that, people love him, because it was such an honest, authentic portrayal. One of the first conversations I had with him was, it’s almost like his character Arlo is the guy who could have been in jail with Bobby but didn’t go on the hunger strikes, he’s the guy who walked out of the jail. Arlo could be who Bobby Sands could have been, in the sliding doors way. Part of the motivation we talked about with him was a guilt, a sense that he didn’t make that sacrifice, and that’s why he becomes such a zealot, because he’s standing there while people like Bobby aren’t, and I think that was something that was always in his head playing the character.
Interview by Mike Williams, Sight and Sound, September 2024
KNEECAP
Directed by: Rich Peppiatt
©: Kneecap Films Limited, Screen Market Research Limited t/a Wildcard, The British Film Institute
Produced by: Fine Point, Mother Tongues
Co-produced by: Wildcard
In association with: Naughty Step, DMC Film
Developed with the assistance of: Northern Ireland Screen, Mother Tongues Films
Developed with the support of: Shudder Films, Ardimages UK, Charades, Curzon, Intermission Film
Presented by: BFI, Northern Ireland Screen, Screen Ireland, TG4, Coimisiún Na Meán
In association with : Curzon, Charades, Great Point
International Sales by: Charades
Executive Producers: Niamh Fagan, Louise Ortega, Ursula Devine, Carole Baraton, Áine Walsh, Proinsias Ní Ghráinne, Máire Bhreathnach, Yohann Comte, Philip Knatchbull, Pierre Mazars, Louisa Dent, Manon Ardisson, Chiara Ventura, Pete Boyle, Keith Kehoe, Dias Feld, Augusta Charlton, Kamila Serkebaeva
Producers: Trevor Birney, Jack Tarling
Co-producer: Patrick O’Neill
Archive Producer: Fran Rowlatt-McCormick
Associate Producers: Lisa Service, Ali Doyle, Luis García
Production Co-ordinator: Phillip McGonigle
Production Accountant: Liam O’Connor
Location Manager: Richard Glenholmes
Post-production Supervisor: Mark Warren
Post-production Supervisor for Yellow Moon: Alan Frier
Post-production Supervisor for Outer Limits: Brian Raferty
Post-production Manager: Lisa Curry
Production Consultant: Fionn Greger
2nd Unit Director: Peadar Ó Goill
1st Assistant Director: Robert Gerrard
2nd Assistant Director: Dallan Shovlin
Script Supervisor: Andrew Higgins
Casting Director: Carla Stronge
Script Editor: Danny Wigley
Written by: Rich Peppiatt
Story by: Rich Peppiatt, Naoise Ó Cairealláin, Liam Óg Ó Hannaidh, JJ Ó Dochartaigh
Director of Photography: Ryan Kernaghan
Digital Imaging Technician: William J. Kelly
Gaffer: Kevin Heatherington
Best Boy: Lee Lovett
Key Grip: Cormac Long
Visual Effects Supervisor: Andy Clarke
Visual Effects Producer: Matthew Sullivan
Graphics: Stephen McGlue
Motion Graphics Lead: Cian Hogan
Animator: Stephen McCollum
Editors: Julian Ulrichs, Chris Gill
Additional Editing: Dara McKeagney, Peadar Ó Goill
Production Designer: Nicola Moroney
Art Director: Francis Taaffe
Costume Designer: Zjena Glamocanin
Costume Supervisor: Joanne McFeely
Hair and Make-up Designer: Liz Boston
Hair & Make-up Supervisor: Kelly White
Title Design by: Gianni Clifford
Original Score by: Michael ‘Mikey J’ Asante
Music Supervisors: Jeanette Rehnstrom, Gary Welsh
Choreographer: Oona Doherty
Production Sound Mixer: Chris Woodcock
Re-recording Mixer: Aza Hand
Supervising Sound Editor: Brendan Rehill
Stunt Co-ordinators: Donal O’Farrell, David Anders
Cast
Naoise Ó Cairealláin (Naoise, ‘Móglaí Bap’)
Liam Óg Ó Hannaidh (Liam Óg, ‘Mo Chara’)
JJ Ó Dochartaigh (JJ, ‘DJ Próvaí’)
Josie Walker (Detective Ellis)
Fionnuala Flaherty (Caitlin)
Jessica Reynolds (Georgia)
Adam Best (Doyle)
Simone Kirby (Dolores)
Michael Fassbender (Arlo Ó Cairealláin)
Matthew Sharpe (Sean)
Cathal Mercer (Fra)
Donagh Deeney (Uncle Peadar)
Marty Maguire (Nesbitt)
Saorlaoith Brady (Lorna)
Aidan McCaughey (Wee Naoise / young Naoise)
Cillian Kernan (Wee Liam Óg / young Liam Óg)
Lalor Roddy (priest)
Gerry Adams (Gerry Adams)
Karl O’Neill (male doctor)
Niall Cusack (headteacher)
Maria Connolly (café worker)
Muire McCallion (checkout assistant)
Kerri Quinn (spin instructor)
Emily Lamey (venue manager)
Tony Devlin (Antoine, random mourner)
Noel McGee (undercover peeler)
Paul Murphy (well wisher 1)
Brian Devlin (well wisher 2)
Clíodhna McCorley (teacher 1)
Jack Watson (teacher 2)
Brid Ó Gallchoir (teacher 3)
Emer Casey (teacher 4)
Donal O’Hanlon (teacher 5)
Suzanne Waring (teacher 6)
Norma Sheahan (governor 1)
Jenny Cameron (newsreader)
Michael Ievers (DUP politician)
Sean Sloan (politician)
Shane Davis (gig goer 1)
Christopher Grant (gig goer 2)
Ellie Campbell Brennan (glass collector)
Lauren Shannon Jones (female punter 1)
Kiana Kraze (female partner 2)
Dearbháile McKinney (female partner 3)
Callia Peppiatt (naughty kid 1)
Amelie Peppiatt (naughty kid 2)
DJ Mango (rave DJ)
Clare McAuley (Raven the raver)
Eoin Suitor (baton boy)
Rebecca Murray (café customer)
UK-Ireland-France 2024©
105 mins
Digital
A Curzon release
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Programme notes and credits compiled by Sight and Sound and the BFI Documentation Unit
Notes may be edited or abridged
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