Knuckle (R)

synopsis

James Quinn McDonagh and Paddy "The Lurcher" Joyce. Names that demand attention. Men related by blood but separated by a feud that dates back generations. As the heads of rival families, they train to represent their feuding Irish travelling clans, in their long-standing history of violent bare-knuckle boxing.

With KNUCKLE, filmmaker Ian Palmer presents a hard-edged portrait of Irish Traveller male culture and explores the bond of loyalty, the need for revenge, and the pressures to fight for the honor of your family name.

Irish Travellers are normally silent about certain parts of their lifestyle and this is a rare chance to step inside one of the world's most vibrant and elusive communities. Never before has such a portrayal of their fighting traditions been committed to film as Palmer spent years around the clans before they agreed to shoot their secretive world and their way of settling scores: no gloves, no padding, just KNUCKLE.