Synopsis: There are 80,000 native Irish speakers in Ireland. 6,000 live in the North of Ireland. Three of them became a rap group called Kneecap. This anarchic Belfast trio becomes the unlikely figurehead of a civil rights movement to save the mother tongue.

Kneecap is one of the knockouts of the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. The story of the real-life rap group from Ireland is the perfect mix of hilarity, drama and a powerful message. Rooted in the fight for language, Kneecap tackled the importance of a native tongue and why less-known languages go extinct daily. We watch as a school teacher looking for greater purpose teams with two guys looking for their place in the world. That relationship is all rooted in protecting their culture, stories and people. I found myself loving this film and all of the wild twists and turns that it takes. It is something that a lot of people will resonate with.

The performances are fantastic. Starring the actual members of the group, I don’t think you could have had a more authentic retelling of the story than from the real people themselves. I just don’t think anyone else can pull this story off. There’s also a random Michael Fassbender performance here that I absolutely wasn’t expecting, but found myself not hating. The unapologetic nature of this film with everything from the performances to the direction to the writing is one of the reasons why this film resonated with me so much.

The script is one of the best parts of this project. This isn’t just a docudrama about the formation of a rap group. It’s a story of culture, language and the importance of preservation of native tongues. This message transcends just rap or the Irish language. It is a story that everyone can understand and care about in some way. The frenetic pace, which flows very well with the editing, is extremely intoxicating. It does hit some familiar structural beats that we have learned to know, but that doesn’t stop the runaway train that is project is. This will be a true crowdpleaser for many.     

FINAL: Kneecap is one of the crowdpleasers of the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. The performances are raw and real, the direction is awesome and the story is important and impactful. This is a story that transcends both the rap genre and the docudrama format that it holds. It has a real voice and message to be told that everyone should listen to. Having the group play themselves was the best possible decision and no one could replicate that. This will come off as a divisive film, but in the end, most will love it.

Point Breakdown:

15 for Writing: 13

15 for Performances: 13

10 for Entertainment: 9

10 for Direction: 8

10 for Emotions: 8

5 for Cinematography: 4

5 for Score: 4

5 for Pacing: 5

15 for Technical: 13

5 for Rewatchability: 5

5 for Automatic: 5

Kneecap: 87/100

Jack Lautaret is a Banana Meter approved film critic, Host of the Jack Lautaret YouTube Channel and writer for Music City Drive-In. He is a member of the Online Film and Television Association. Twitter: @JackLautaret