Music is the message in rollicking Kneecap
While Curtis Hansons’ 8 Mile and Danny Boyle’s Trainspotting are obvious influences on Rich Peppiatt’s Kneecap, there’s something far
more important at play in this pseudo-biopic of the Irish rap group. The
history of oppression at the hands of the English and the heritage of the
country becomes central to what motivates these three to rage against the
political machine that would stifle their voices and erase their language. It’s
heavy stuff, yet in Peppiatt’s hands, this rollicking, kinetic production brims
with energy and excitement, effectively using bits of humor along the way to
make its rebellious message go down easy.
Kneecap looks at their rise through a fictional lens,
though press notes contend the spine of the story – how the group was formed
and the resistance they faced – is true. Using their stage names for their
characters in the film, Mo Chara is a troubled teen who’s been adrift since his
father, legendary Irish activist Arlo (Michael Fassbender) “died.” Truth is,
he went into hiding, the young man fully aware of this, yet resentful over his
dad abandoning his mother (Simone Kirby). He and his mate, Moglai Bap, get by
selling drugs, raising hell and composing poems they're embarrassed to share.
This all changes when Mo is arrested for having a bit too
much fun one evening, though he is constantly harassed by Detective Ellis
(Josie Walker), who believes he knows something of his father’s whereabouts.
Refusing to speak the Queen’s English, JJ, a local language teacher, is brought
in to help interrogate him. Only later after seeing the poems in a notebook
that was confiscated from Mo does JJ realize he’s not just a simple thug.
This sets in motion a series of events in which the teacher
convinces his reluctant cohorts to record their work and perform it live.
Initially, they are not a rousing success, but social media helps spread their
message to their peers, one that defies governmental authority by rapping in
their native Irish tongue. Efforts to officially recognize the dying language
are in full swing and suddenly, their defiance becomes an act of political
resistance that catches fire.
While there’s a natural interest in underdog stories of this
sort, the trio embellish their story to incorporate a bit of romance, a bit of
humor and a great deal of in-your-face behavior that only increases our
sympathy and admiration of them. Trainspotting is the obvious
inspiration for the edgy aesthetic used throughout. Profane throughout, it
mirrors the previous film’s attitudes towards drug use and casual sex, its
anti-establishment attitude permeating the film. That it uses a buffoonish
Republican paramilitary group as a punchline throughout is no accident.
And the trio bear more than a passing resemblance to the
defiant, at-loose-ends characters in Boyle’s film. With no direction being
provided them, Mo and Moglai have nothing to lose in expressing themselves and
do so with a vengeance that proves inspiring. Meanwhile, JJ is anxious to
break out of his middle-class malaise and embraces the spirit of his two young
charges, finding purpose along the way. Unlike so many music acts today, these
three actually have something to say and Kneecap is an insanely
entertaining, vital forum that will allow them to further spread their message.
In theaters.
Four an exercise in “blah”
Clint Eastwood just recently finished directing his 49th and final film. He is 94 years old. Harrison Ford joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as President Thunderbolt Ross in the upcoming Captain America: Brave New World. He is 82 years old. Helen Mirren has two films set for release in the coming year. She’s 79 years old. The Rolling Stones just wrapped up their latest tour. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards are 81 and 80 years old, respectively. Not to be outdone, Willie Nelson is on the road again. He’s 91 years old.
Each of these artists have had incredible careers, none of
which could be improved upon by continuing to work. All financially secure,
there seems to be no monetary incentive for them to go on plying their trades.
Thus, the question is: “Why do they continue?”
Me and a group of my friends recently determined – as these
are the sorts of philosophical questions we take up each Sunday morning over
bagels and coffee – that despite their fame and fortune, idleness is an
anathema to them. For anyone who has had a career that has spanned a prolonged
period, your work comes to not only define you, but becomes one of the things
in life that give you purpose. To give this up leads to a sense of
displacement and a lack of direction often sets in, as well as bouts of depression.
In becoming what you do, only by working can a sense of fulfillment be achieved.
I suppose that’s the reason so many well-established
actresses have recently appeared in a group of films that are so obviously
beneath their talent. 80 For Brady, Poms, and Summer Camp have
seen the likes of Kathy Bates, Sally Field, Jane Fonda, Diane Keaton, Rita
Moreno, Lily Tomlin, Alfre Woodard and others cavort on screen in woefully
predictable, agonizingly safe, blandly told movies that make watching your hair
grow seem exciting.
The latest is The Fabulous Four with Bette Midler,
Susan Sarandon, Megan Mullally and Sheryl Lee Ralph. They star as, you guessed
it, lifelong friends who reunite for a significant life event. However, old
hurts must be discussed and resolved, activities that prove they’re not as old
as they feel must be attempted and an embarrassing sequence in which one of
them gets accidently high must be sat through.
There’s really no reason to get into the particulars where Four’s
plot is concerned – nothing that happens is particularly interesting and
there’s certainly nothing original on display. The only thing of interest in
films like this is seeing which of the veteran actresses accord themselves with
some sense of professionalism and which know they’re in a stinker and just
phone it in. Sarandon approaches her
role as the workaholic Lou with the same dedication she applied to Dead Man
Walking, while Ralph also brings a professionalism to this script it hardly
deserves. Midler and Mullally are on hand for the paycheck.
It's silly to criticize films as innocuous as Four. They
fulfill a need for their niche audience and are so unassuming, being
disparaging towards them is pointless. If they provide a bit of happiness or
inspiration for some viewers, they at least they serve some purpose, other than
just giving well-established actresses something to do. In theaters.
