Top 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsMost Popular Video GamesMost Popular Music VideosMost Popular Podcasts
    Release CalendarBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersSundance Film FestivalIndependent Spirit AwardsBlack History MonthSXSWSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
Sign In
New Customer? Create account
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Hunger

  • 20082008
  • Not RatedNot Rated
  • 1h 36m
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
71K
YOUR RATING
Michael Fassbender in Hunger (2008)
The last six weeks of the life of the Irish republican hunger striker Bobby Sands.
Play trailer1:34
3 Videos
76 Photos
BiographyCrimeDrama
Irish republican Bobby Sands leads the inmates of a Northern Irish prison in a hunger strike.Irish republican Bobby Sands leads the inmates of a Northern Irish prison in a hunger strike.Irish republican Bobby Sands leads the inmates of a Northern Irish prison in a hunger strike.
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
71K
YOUR RATING
    • Steve McQueen
    • Enda Walsh
    • Steve McQueen
  • Stars
    • Stuart Graham
    • Laine Megaw
    • Brian Milligan
    • Steve McQueen
    • Enda Walsh
    • Steve McQueen
  • Stars
    • Stuart Graham
    • Laine Megaw
    • Brian Milligan
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 161User reviews
    • 220Critic reviews
    • 82Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 1 BAFTA Award

    Videos3

    Hunger
    Trailer 1:34
    Watch Hunger
    A Guide to the Films of Steve McQueen
    Clip 2:08
    Watch A Guide to the Films of Steve McQueen
    Hunger
    Clip 5:08
    Watch Hunger

    Photos76

    Michael Fassbender in Hunger (2008)
    Liam Cunningham and Michael Fassbender in Hunger (2008)
    Michael Fassbender and Steve McQueen in Hunger (2008)
    Liam McMahon and Brian Milligan in Hunger (2008)
    Steve McQueen in Hunger (2008)
    Michael Fassbender in Hunger (2008)
    Michael Fassbender at an event for Hunger (2008)
    Hunger (2008)
    Hunger (2008)
    Hunger (2008)
    Hunger (2008)
    Hunger (2008)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Stuart Graham
    Stuart Graham
    • Raymond Lohan
    Laine Megaw
    Laine Megaw
    • Raymond's Wife
    Brian Milligan
    Brian Milligan
    • Davey Gillen
    Liam McMahon
    Liam McMahon
    • Gerry Campbell
    Karen Hassan
    Karen Hassan
    • Gerry's Girlfriend
    Michael Fassbender
    Michael Fassbender
    • Bobby Sands
    Frank McCusker
    Frank McCusker
    • The Governor
    Lalor Roddy
    Lalor Roddy
    • William
    Helen Madden
    • Mrs Sands
    Des McAleer
    • Mr Sands
    Geoff Gatt
    • Bearded Man
    Rory Mullen
    • Priest
    Ben Peel
    Ben Peel
    • Riot Prison Officer, Stephen Graves
    Helena Bereen
    Helena Bereen
    • Raymond's Mother
    Paddy Jenkins
    Paddy Jenkins
    • Hitman
    Liam Cunningham
    Liam Cunningham
    • Father Dominic Moran
    Billy Clarke
    • Chief Medical Officer
    Ciaran Flynn
    • Twelve Year Old Bobby
      • Steve McQueen
      • Enda Walsh
      • Steve McQueen
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    More like this

    Shame
    7.2
    Shame
    Fish Tank
    7.3
    Fish Tank
    Hunger
    5.2
    Hunger
    Uprising
    7.7
    Uprising
    The Wind that Shakes the Barley
    7.5
    The Wind that Shakes the Barley
    Bronson
    7.0
    Bronson
    Widows
    6.8
    Widows
    Mr. Burberry
    6.3
    Mr. Burberry
    Frank
    6.9
    Frank
    Occupied City
    12 Years a Slave
    8.1
    12 Years a Slave
    Blue Valentine
    7.3
    Blue Valentine

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Hunger is known for its unbroken 17 minute 10 second continuous shot, in which Catholic priest Father Dominic Moran tries to talk Bobby Sands out of the Hunger Strike he and his fellow 75 IRA members plan to start. The camera remains in the same position throughout the scene. To prepare, Liam Cunningham moved into Michael Fassbender's apartment, and they rehearsed the scene 12-15 times per day. On the first day of filming, the actors got it perfect after 4 takes.
    • 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.
    • Quotes

      Bobby Sands: I have my belief, and in all its simplicity that is the most powerful thing.

    • Connections
      Featured in Front Row: Michael Fassbender/Kate Winslet (2017)
    • Soundtracks
      Industry
      Performed by Maya Beiser

      Composed by Michael Gordon

      Published by Red Poppy in association with G. Schirmir, Inc.

    User reviews161

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    Visually striking and inventive film that is emotionally engaging and well worth seeking out
    Hunger is a low budget film from a production company more recognisable for its TV work, without any recognisable stars, without a really big distributer to get it around and directed by a Turner Prize winning visual artist making his film debut. Already you would perhaps be considering giving it a miss and maybe this isn't the best time to mention it is a largely dialogue free account of hunger-striker Bobby Sands set entirely in Northern Ireland's infamous Maze prison. This is probably one of the reasons that the film hasn't been as widely seen as it deserves to be or why audiences haven't flocked into screenings of it on a Saturday night. Certainly it is not an easy watch given the subject matter alone but yet it is a compelling and quite brilliant film.

    Although the nature of the story leads the viewer to be emotionally invested in one "side" of the situation, McQueen never does anything that opens his film to this suggestion of bias or of scoring political points, if anything his attention to the detail of the tightly focused story does just the opposite. As well as telling us how many hunger strikers died, he point out how many prison guards were murdered during the period and, in my favourite part, introduces us to the prison via one guard soothing his hands (which tells us the frequency of what he does). It is a nice moment but not as telling as the thrill the viewer gets as he checks for bombs and starts his car – we are supposed to be on the edge of our seat and we are, swiftly followed by the realisation that this is an experience we would repeat if we were in his driveway the next day or the next.

    From here we move into a nearly dialogue free thirty minute opening where no central character really comes forward and our "focus" is on life in the prison for guards and prisoners – a story that almost starts without there being a "story". The film later brings Bobby Sands to the fore, delivering one impressive dialogue scene before returning to a dialogue-light charting of his hunger strike on the way to the conclusion that we all know is coming. Yet it manages to be really engaging because of the level of each detail in each scene and the relevance of each scene to the overall film. The scene that has gotten all the mentions and praise is the long dialogue scene between Sands and the priest who comes to see him before his strike. Filmed in three distinct shots, the scene is technically impressive but also allows the main dialogue delivery of the film – and the only really moment where anyone is allowed to debate and discuss the actions. Even here McQueen does not allow sides to be taken but keeps it as two men talking. It is engaging, really well written and of course, really well acted.

    It is ironic that in this scene the film sits still for ages and allows the frame to remain the same because for the majority of the film McQueen's camera is the star. So many shots are striking that it almost becomes "normal" to be transfixed by an image on the screen. Whether it be a excrement-smeared cell, urine flowing down a hall or a man washing blood from his hands, it looks great and the care taken to construct each image fills the "gap" that the dialogue leaves. The performances are mostly very good and compliment the "few words" approach by bringing a lot when required and wearing their characters convincingly. There are some you may recognise but I didn't. Fassbender is the most memorable as he has the biggest character and the most startling journey, but this should not take away from smaller turns from Graham, Mullen and a few others who are also good. The film is not perfect though. The uninitiated may struggle to understand the bigger picture as you don't get a lot of help with that and those that don't get into the telling initially may be left cold by the approach. However these "weaknesses" are not missed targets or failings but rather the "cons" that have to come with the overwhelming pros of the manner of delivery.

    Hunger is not an easy film to watch but it is a great film. It is wonderfully shot with an artist's composure but McQueen is not a "visual style" director who doesn't come with anything else (list your own failed music video director turned film director here) but rather he uses this approach to improve the film and make the telling better. The acting is impressive because of how real they feel and how little dialogue they have across the whole film, but to me the real star was McQueen. He is a visual artist and it shows as he makes the majority of his shots striking and engaging, even if they are not "beautiful". It may get a bit more exposure due to awards chatter but even if it doesn't it is certainly worth checking out.
    helpful•16
    6
    • bob the moo
    • Jan 11, 2009

    FAQ5

    • Is "Hunger" based on a book?
    • Why did Bobby Sands starve himself?
    • Who 'won' the confrontation?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 31, 2008 (United Kingdom)
      • United Kingdom
      • Ireland
      • Official site (Japan)
      • English
      • Irish Gaelic
    • Also known as
    • Production companies
      • Film4
      • Channel Four Film
      • Northern Ireland Screen
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 1 hour 36 minutes
      • Color
      • Dolby Digital

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Michael Fassbender in Hunger (2008)
    Top Gap
    By what name was Hunger (2008) officially released in India in Hindi?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2023 by IMDb.com, Inc.