Genre: Comedy, Drama, Music
Actor: Cathal Mercer, DJ Próvai, Fionnuala Flaherty, Jessica Reynolds, Josie Walker, Lalor Roddy, Michael Fassbender, Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap, Simone Kirby
Director: Rich Peppiatt
1. Kneecap, 2024
When we think of biopics, we think of underdogs overcoming all odds just through the magnetic power of one’s voice or mastery of their instrument, with the accolades a natural reward for all they’ve been through. Kneecap is not that. The biopic about the titular Belfast hip hop act acknowledges the Troubles, but right off the bat, they would rather tackle that through the actual music. With a low budget, Kneecap dresses themselves in neon tracksuits, reliving their beginnings with stylized camera movements, scribbled out lyrics and action lines, and an impeccable energetic score sync from their usual music video director Rich Peppiatt. It’s an exciting new portrait of the band and Ireland today.