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Belfast presented by Orbital
Narrative
When fate brings Belfast schoolteacher JJ into the orbit of self-confessed 'lowlife shit' Naoise and Liam Og, the hip-hop pin-drops perform like no other. They rap in their native Irish and lead a movement to save their mother tongue. Ireland’s official entry for the ‘Best International Feature Film’ category at the 97th Academy Awards in 2025. Caitlin: A country without a language is only half a nation.. Referencing Film Junk Podcast: Episode 961: In a Violent Nature + TIFF 2024 (2024). This middle-aged man brought his teenage son to see the movie Kneecap and we both thoroughly enjoyed it.
there were no slow parts
It was funny and engaging, i.e. When it came to the end, I wanted more, at least an extra scene after the credits. I am also a music fan and I particularly enjoyed many parts of the films when the volume was turned up and we could hear their Irish language rapping on the big screen. I am American so I must stress that non-Irish people need to brush up on their knowledge of history including the Troubles which thankfully culminated in the 1990s with the Good Friday Agreement as well as what has been happening in Northern Ireland/Northern Ireland over the last few years if you want to appreciate all the witty jokes and references. The complex history cannot be reduced to a few paragraphs but I will try anyway. The English colonised Ireland and did all the terrible things that colonising powers do – stealing land and resources, dispossessing the natives and trying their best to eradicate Irish culture.
Catholics could not vote
Not many centuries ago the English banned speaking the Irish language, practicing Catholicism or even doing Irish dancing. The attempted rebellions were brutally suppressed. The English also suppressed the attempted rebellions in Scotland. The English then "planted" hundreds of thousands of loyal Lowland Scots and English in resource-rich northern Ireland. (The English, meanwhile, tried their best to eliminate Highland Scottish culture (look up the euphemism “Highland Clearances”), which is very similar to Irish culture due to the Irish culture/language spreading across the Irish Sea during their own expansion. going back to the 5th century.
The British changed the economy itself to suit their own profits
In fact, the Irish are responsible for giving Scotland its name, but that’s another story.) Previous invaders to Ireland (Celts, Vikings, Normans) had all brought their own distinct cultures, but eventually all assimilated and became Irish. But the plantation worked – a distinctly British, loyal, pro-Union culture/nation was formed in the north of Ireland, which remains to this day. But times were terrible under British rule across the island of Ireland. The native Irish were robbed of their land and many were given the option to rent a small portion of their former land for exorbitant payments owed to British landlords. Many native Irish farmers were forced to specialise in growing potatoes on their poor land because it seemed easy. Unfortunately, in the 1800s, blight hit the potato crop, rendering it inedible.
The English had them exported under armed guard
With nothing to eat or sell, the Irish starved or emigrated. What about the fish in the waters around the island or in Irish streams and rivers? Although there were charitable English entities that sent aid, the Anglo-British government adopted a laissez-faire approach, explicitly citing “famine”; it was the Irish’s own fault that they were over-breeding due to their Catholic beliefs and that they should be allowed to die out for population control. In some places where food was sent to the needy, you had to convert to Protestantism to get the food.