‘Kneecap’ - Review
A Palestinian flag hangs from a West Belfast balcony for just a few seconds. It’s a brief shot but at the same time, it’s everything that Kneecap stands for. As cliche as it may sound, Kneecap is a true celebration of art and existence as forms of resistance.
Kneecap tells the story of an Irish-language rap group emerging in West Belfast in the early 2000s. In one scene, the group (Liam Óg, Naoise Ó Cairealláin, and JJ Ó Dochartaig) delivers rapid-fire Irish verses to an enthusiastic crowd. Their lyrics are laced with profanity, acts of defiance, preserving and celebrating a unique cultural heritage. Like the Palestinian flag, the use of the Irish language here isn’t intentionally framed as political; it’s an expression of identity. Yet, this expression becomes interpreted as political simply because when you are oppressed, your existence is resistance.
The band creates music against a backdrop of centuries of cultural suppression, transforming their creative acts into something deeper. Their songs connect them to family members, neighbors, and a growing audience across Ireland. Naoise's father Arlo, an ex-IRA member who believes only in militant resistance, contrasts with his mother's warmth and support. Both relationships shape Naoise's understanding of resistance, proving that the fight for justice needs more than ideology. It needs people worth fighting for.
The Palestinian flag appears as a reminder of how these struggles connect across continents. Palestine faces escalating atrocities and ongoing violence, yet Palestinian artists continue creating powerful works that reclaim identity and assert their strength under siege. Whether through Irish rap or Arabic poetry, reclaiming identity through art becomes most vital when confronting attempts at erasure. Art preserves heritage and imagines futures beyond oppression.
At the conclusion of the film, Kneecap performs a triumphant concert before a sea of solidarity and waving flags. Despite oppression and erasure, Kneecap uses music to declare their humanity, a refusal to be erased, and a call for justice that echoes across borders.
Inspired by Kneecap, FilmSlop has interviewed some Palestinian artists whose work embodies this unique feeling of defiance. Through these interviews and features, we platform artists who spearhead the notion of existence as resistance, exploring what drives them to create and witnessing how their individual expressions make for powerful political statements.
Check out some of these interviews below:
By engaging with and amplifying art from oppressed communities (Palestinian cinema, Irish-language rap, or any other form of cultural expression born of struggle) we aspire to support the global chorus of resistance.