Kneecap (#583)

Today I went to see a most unusual, interesting and stimulating film, which also included extensive drug use, explicit sex, foul language and extreme violence—and was mostly in a language that you rarely hear —Irish (or as I was always told to refer to as Gaelic).  KNEECAP takes place in Northern Ireland, Belfast specifically, and stars three real musicians playing themselves.  I think this kind of film is referred to as a biopic which I think means it's about real people and events but may not be the true story.  Two young men, "low-life scum" and heavy users and sellers of drugs, start performing hip-hop (I call it rap) and deliberately sing in the Irish language which was a very controversial issue in Northern Ireland (the transformation into the use of Irish as the official language was already a law in Ireland).  They are joined by a teacher who wears a balaclava on stage to avoid being recognized.  It was interesting to note that the group named itself Kneecap because it was the thing that Belfast was best known for.  The plot and events and characters are too complex to describe in more detail, but things become very political and dangerous.  Running one hour and 48 minutes, it was never boring nor did it lose its pace.  I liked everything about the film—acting, music, settings, cinematography, etc.  The only difficulty for me was reading the subtitles which were on and off too fast to follow as the dialogue skipped back and forth between Irish and English constantly.  96% of critics and 97% of audiences gave Kneecap a thumbs up.