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 & 34 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:

An odyssey, in which the smallest gestures become epic and when the body is the last resource for protest.

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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

First theatrical film directed by Steve McQueen.

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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

Bobby Sands: I always felt that thief next to Jesus got off lightly.
Father Dominic Moran: Ah, but he recognized his sins.
Bobby Sands: Did he though?
Father Dominic Moran: Aye. Said as much.
Bobby Sands: When you're hung from a cross you're gonna say anything. Jesus offers him a seat next to his daddy in a place called paradise you're always gonna put your hand up and have a piece of that.
Father Dominic Moran: Aye. Even when it's nailed to your cross.

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Connections

Featured in WatchMojoUK: Top 10 Michael Fassbender Performances (2018)

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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

Finding beauty in the horror.

This debut from former artist turned director Steve McQueen will leave you breathless. In its own understated way it is epic, bold, brutal and beautiful. Telling the story of the last six weeks in the life of Bobby Sands the Irish republican hunger striker the film pulls no punches in showing life inside the maze prison and what the prisoners did to try and win political status. From the outset the shots are amazing with McQueen utilising his artistic eye to bring the best out of the very cold prison environment, his attention to detail is simply stunning making every single frame fantastically watchable despite the sometimes gruesome subject matter. Also his approach of less is more adds to the atmosphere as he has shots that have no sounds or music, like the guard cleaning the corridor with its fixed camera unflinching for several minutes the only sound the eerie echoing scrubbing. Unofficially split into three the first part deals with the incarceration and subsequent no wash protests while the last deals with the hunger strikes but it's the central piece that separates which most will remember for its ability to captivate despite just being a conversation between Sands and a visiting priest. Again shot from a fixed angle and superbly lit Sands (Fassbender) explains the morality behind his decision to stop eating. The acting and the monologue will stay with you long after the films finished and cements actor Fassbender firmly in the role to the point where you start to feel for him as he begins to waste away. When the film premiered at Cannes it caused walkouts and standing ovations before walking away with the Camera d'Or for best debut and rightly so, not only is it one of the best films of the year it is one of the most powerful I've seen. Regardless of where you stand politically the message is universal and just like the circle of faeces smeared on Sands cell wall, McQueen has crafted something beautiful out of something horrible.