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Kneecap
2024 105 min Ireland, United Kingdom, France R 18+
★7.8
Music, Comedy, Drama
Director: Rich Peppiatt
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Description
When fate brings Belfast teacher JJ into the orbit of self-confessed "low life scum" Naoise and Liam Óg, the needle drops on a hip-hop act like no other. Rapping in their native Irish, they lead a movement to save their mother tongue.
US Gross:
$1.15M
Worldwide:
$4.35M
Starring
Móglaí Bap
Actor
Mo Chara
Actor
DJ Próvaí
Actor
Awards
Sundance Film Festival 2024
— Audience Award – Best of Next
BAFTA 2025
— Best Debut (Screenplay, Direction or Production)
BAFTA 2025
— Best Casting
BAFTA 2025
— Best Film Editing
BAFTA 2025
— Best Debut (Screenplay, Direction or Production)
BAFTA 2025
— Best British Film
BAFTA 2025
— Best International Feature Film
European Film Awards 2024
— Discovery of the Year
Key opinion
Kneecap is a high-energy, irreverent biopic that serves as both a gritty musical comedy and a passionate manifesto for the Irish language. While its narrative structure is occasionally thin or conventional, the band’s authentic self-portrayals and the film's distinct stylistic flair make it a compelling cultural statement.
| Acting | The lead trio’s decision to play themselves brings a raw, authentic energy that anchors the film's chaotic narrative. | |
| Production | The film effectively blends gritty, gray street realism with vibrant, neon-soaked aesthetics inspired by music video production. | |
| Score | The soundtrack acts as the film's primary engine, successfully weaving politically charged, aggressive rap with traditional Irish motifs. | |
| Humor | The irreverent, dark humor serves as the film’s strongest asset, helping to balance the heavier political themes and occasional cringe-worthy character moments. | |
| Screenplay | Critics are divided on the screenplay: some appreciate its simple, honest, and defiant structure, while others find the plotting reliant on convenient coincidences and thin development. |