Hunger (2008)

Irish republican Bobby Sands leads the inmates of a Northern Irish prison in a hunger strike.

Director:

Steve McQueen

Writers:

Enda Walsh, Steve McQueen

Stars:

Stuart Graham, Laine Megaw, Brian Milligan

45 wins & 33 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Stuart Graham	...	Raymond Lohan
Laine Megaw	...	Raymond's Wife
Brian Milligan	...	Davey Gillen
Liam McMahon	...	Gerry Campbell
Karen Hassan	...	Gerry's Girlfriend
Michael Fassbender	...	Bobby Sands
Frank McCusker	...	The Governor
Lalor Roddy	...	William
Helen Madden	...	Mrs. Sands
Des McAleer	...	Mr. Sands
Geoff Gatt	...	Bearded Man
Rory Mullen	...	Priest
Ben Peel	...	Riot Prison Offficer Stephen Graves
Helena Bereen	...	Raymond's Mother
Paddy Jenkins	...	Hitman

Storyline

Hunger follows life in the Maze Prison, Northern Ireland with an interpretation of the highly emotive events surrounding the 1981 IRA Hunger Strike, led by Bobby Sands. With an epic eye for detail, the film provides a timely exploration of what happens when body and mind are pushed to the uttermost limit.

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Plot Keywords:

nudity | male frontal nudity | prison | hunger strike | bobby sands | 

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Taglines:

A compelling and unforgettable portrayal of life within the maze prison at the time of 1981 IRA hunger strike.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

MK2 [France] Official site [Hungary]

Country:

Ireland UK

Language:

English Irish

Release Date:

31 October 2008 (Ireland)

Also Known As:

Hunger

Box Office

Budget:

£1,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£136,413 (United Kingdom), 2 November 2008, Limited Release

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,980, 7 December 2008, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$154,084, 7 June 2009

Company Credits

Production Co:

Film4,Channel Four Film,Northern Ireland Screen

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Bobby Sands first appears on screen 26 minutes into the film.

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Goofs

Raymond Lohan's Ford Granada is a Mk2 Facelift, which was released in winter 1981 and would've appeared on Irish roads in 1982.

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Quotes

Father Dominic Moran: So what happened to your eye, Bobby?
Bobby Sands: What?
Father Dominic Moran: Did you get a dig for yourself? Your eye.
Bobby Sands: Difference of opinion.
Father Dominic Moran: Mmm. How's the other fella?
Bobby Sands: Oh, a lot worse. Believe me.

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Connections

Referenced in At the Movies: Summer Special 2008/09 (2008)

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Soundtracks

Industry
Performed by Maya Beiser
Composed by Michael Gordon
Published by Red Poppy in association with G. Schirmir, Inc.

User Reviews

The brutal life in the Maze Prison

Before Steve McQueen came along, artists turned directors trended to be awful at the job like Tracy Emin (but she has always been an awful artist). But since Steve McQueen there is hope that artists can be good storytellers, with Sam Taylor-Wood also gaining critical success with Nowhere Boy. Here Steve McQueen shows his skill with a brutal tale about the Maze Prison and the political protests IRA prisoners undertook.

In the early 1980s terrorist prisoners in Northern Ireland had their rights as political prisoners removed and IRA prisoners protest by refusing to wear prison uniforms, thereby ending up being nude, and smearing their own feces. Prison guards have to use violence even to clean prisoners and clean their cells. One prisoner, Bobby Sands (Michael Fassbender) who suffers from the violence goes on a hunger strike to force the British government to give in to his demands. He would go on it by himself and was willing to die for his cause. To ensure that this wasn't a pointless sacrifice other IRA men would take his place other he died. As the strike continues Sands' health quickly deteriorates, with the British government standing strong against him.

McQueen shows his skills very quickly, showing the brutal nature of live and showing the dirty live of the prison cells. It is grim but effective and you get the feel of what that live was like. He also shows his ambition, with lots of wide, continuous shots throughout, the main one being when Sands speaks with a priest (Liam Cunningham) about the morality of going on hunger strike. This almost felt like a stage play. McQueen also shows his artist flair with some of the shots, but most of the time keeps the film grounded to real life.

Surprisingly McQueen shows a more balanced picture, showing a prison officer Lohan (Stuart Graham) is a human being, having to protect himself from IRA attacks, and having his wife worry for his life. But McQueen could have shown more, like terrorist attacks conducted by the IRA or British reprisals against them. I am personally a big critic of the IRA, seeing them as no more then terrorist targeting innocent civilians and now really just a criminal organisation. But despite my prejudices I was still gripped by the film, it was not Anglophobic or pro-Nationalist. An interesting parallel with today is with American treatment of Al-Qaida prisoners, where the Republicans and the Right in America want to strip them of their rights, torture them and lock them up indefinitely, whilst the Democrats want to treat them as what there really are, criminals and should have criminal trials. When it comes to fighting terrorism we need to show that we are better then sinking to their level. The film skips over the fact that Bobby Sands won an election to be an MP whilst on hunger strike.

The acting is excellent, particularly from Michael Fassbender who is quickly emerging as a massive hot prospect. He is my second choice to replace Daniel Craig, just after Matthew MacFadyen. Liam Cunningham and Stuart Graham are also worthy of note.

This is a very good film, and an excellent debut by Steve McQueen.