There are so many rich, beautiful cultures and languages in the world. But, if those languages aren’t spoken and those cultures aren’t celebrated, we run the risk of losing them. That’s something the filmmakers and stars of Kneecap, which opens Friday after debuting at Sundance in January, are committed to showcasing.

The film is not only a celebration of Irish culture and the Irish language, but also something of an origin story. It draws its name from the actual hip-hop trio who star in the film, playing themselves. This is a fictional re-telling of their origin story, and it’s a lot of fun.

In the film, JJ (DJ Próvai) is a teacher in Belfast who is tapped to act as an interpreter for Mo (Mo Chara) after he’s detained by police and claims not to speak English. Mo’s father (Michael Fassbender) was an infamous hood who disappeared, and since his family had been harassed by authorities. Mo was also committed to fighting for the Irish language as it came up for a vote to be officially recognized in the United Kingdom.

After that encounter, JJ reads a notebook full of poems from Mo. He re-connects with Mo and his friend Móglaí (Móglaí Bap), convincing them that they should combine forces to make music. Said music is message-oriented, a celebration of the Irish language, and takes the world by storm. But it brings added scrutiny to the trio as they move forward, can they keep it together and get their message to the world?

I wasn’t familiar with the group prior to watching the film, but it’s not necessary to enjoy this story. Provai, Bap, and Chara are great together and magic in making this origin story for their band. The rest of the film has a good ensemble of supporting actors as well. I particularly enjoyed Fassbender in his few scenes and the way he interacts to make this story hum at times.

I enjoyed the music and the celebration of culture and characters. There’s humor here, some good songs, and plenty to draw you into the story and the world. This is a fun surprise of a film and one that makes a very beautiful statement about the power of preserving language and culture. It’s well worth making a point to seek this film out as it begins to open around the country on Friday.

Kneecap opens on today in theaters nationwide.

Matthew Fox is a graduate of the Radio, Television and Film program at Biola University, and a giant nerd. He spends his free time watching movies, TV, and obsessing about football. He is a member of the FSWA. You can find him @knighthawk7734 on Twitter and as co-host of the Fantasy Football Roundtable Podcast.