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

49 wins & 38 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

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

Father Dominic Moran: I want to know whether your intent is just purely to commit suicide here.
Bobby Sands: You want me to argue about the morality of what I'm about to do and whether it's really suicide or not? For one, you're calling it suicide. I call it murder. And that's just another wee difference between us two. We're both Catholic men, both Republicans. But while you were poaching salmon in beautiful Kilrea, we were being burnt out of our house in Rathcoole. Similar in many ways, Dom, but life and experiences focused our...

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Connections

Referenced in The Graham Norton Show: Carey Mulligan/Noomi Rapace/Amanda Holden/Jessie Ware (2015)

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Soundtracks

Industry
Performed by Maya Beiser
Composed by Michael Gordon
Published by Red Poppy in association with G. Schirmir, Inc.
Bang On A Can - Classics CA21010
Cantaloupe Music October 08, 2002

User Reviews

Powerful

The movie is a timely piece of film-making in this era of Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay. I have to admit my prejudice for the film because of my past as one of the prisoners depicted in the film. Long Kesh – or the Maze as the British infamously renamed it – was the Abu Ghraib of its day. One stark difference though: unlike Abu Ghraib, no one has ever been charged with the horror and relentless torture inflicted upon naked, defenceless prisoners in Long Kesh. The film is uncompromising in its examination of the events leading up to and beyond the Hunger Strike. Michael Fassbender is frighteningly real. But I will leave it up to the words of Peter Bradshaw in the Guardian to sum it up: 'Hunger is raw, powerful film-making and an urgent reminder of this uniquely ugly, tragic and dysfunctional period in British and Irish history…'

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan]

Country:

Ireland UK

Language:

English Irish

Release Date:

31 October 2008 (Ireland)

Also Known As:

Hunger

Box Office

Budget:

GBP1,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,980, 7 December 2008

Gross USA:

$154,084

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$3,185,113

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