Hunger
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.
Member Reviews
Visceral poetry - RobBC
Director McQueen started out as an artist and it shows. “Hunger” is powerfully filmed with long deliberate takes that rely as much on imagery as dialogue to tell the story. Although it is told mainly from the prisoners’ point of view, it is not a political film as such. Rather it is a film about the power of ideology...the passions that drive us and make us willing to sacrifice anything, even our very lives, for a higher cause. Conversely it also shows the emotional turmoil of those who begin to doubt the beliefs on which their actions are based. In filming Sands’ self-sacrifice McQueen makes definite comparisons to the story of Christ. In one scene a guard holds his emaciated body in a pose reminiscent of Michelangelo’s Pieta and in another deeply moving sequence an orderly slowly applies salve to his many bedsores. This can be somewhat problematic depending on your own personal opinion of the I.R.A. and it’s activities...and Sands is definitely not presented as a sympathetic character. Personally I didn’t see the compassionate Shepherd of the gospels but rather an angry revolutionary Christ ardently, perhaps recklessly, embracing his cross. The performances are excellent all around, the script sharp and intelligent especially the exchange between Sands and a priest who tries to dissuade him; and the cinematography truly inspired. The final scenes are pure poetry.The Last Days Of Bobby Sands - revsdd
I was expecting this to be a more or less pro-IRA film, portraying Bobby Sands and his ilk as heroes or freedom fighters or some such glorious thing. It didn't do that. Indeed, in what was probably the most interesting part of the movie - Sands' conversation with the priest before beginning his hunger strike - his motives, judgment and even sanity get called into question. At the same time, there's hardly a flattering portrayal of the British. Abusive guards and a coldness of attitude are the primary images one gets of them. So, is it pro-anything? Or, is it anti-everything? In the end, one gets the impression that the IRA comes out on top (at least in terms of the point being made - the closing 20 minutes or so do seem to be trying to make Sands an object of sympathy, a sympathy which I, personally, did not feel for him) but it's hardly a ringing endorsement of the group or its actions.
This was often a depressing movie, although effective in portraying the conditions inside the Maze - both the sanitary conditions and the abusive conditions. It does so by relying primarily on set rather than dialogue - the dialogue being rather limited throughout, with the exception of the aforementioned conversation with the priest, a philosophical discourse that seems to go on far too long and which I lost interest in after a while. The immediately succeeding scene (a long scene of a guard simply washing the floor in the prison hallway) seemed to serve little purpose and further lost me. After that, the focus is moved to Sands and the hunger strike, which led ultimately to his death after 66 days.
This movie came across as troubling but not especially powerful. It missed the opportunity to really explore the concept of political prisoner vs. terrorist, which could have made this a very interesting political/philosophical statement. In the end, it disappointed me.harrowing - surfer
Disturbing, powerful film. Well worth seeing for the outstanding performance from Michael Fassbender and for the unique storytelling and style of director Steve McQueen. Haunting visuals.
For those unfamiliar with the story of hunger-striker Bobby Sands and his fellow mistreated inmates at the Maze prison in Northern Ireland it will be shocking. For those who know the story already, the film's style makes it shockingly vivid again.
I especially like the way the film alternates between long stretches with minimal spoken word and then crackles in its one central dialogue scene in which Sands and the priest (Liam Cunningham) debate strategy and life. What a great scene it is, shot almost entirely in one long take that goes on for about a breathtaking 20 minutes.
Recommended.
Member Reviews
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Visceral poetry - RobBC
Director McQueen started out as an artist and it shows. “Hunger” is powerfully filmed with long deliberate takes that rely as much on imagery as dialogue to tell the story. Although it is told mainly from the prisoners’ point of view, it is not a political ...The Last Days Of Bobby Sands - revsdd
I was expecting this to be a more or less pro-IRA film, portraying Bobby Sands and his ilk as heroes or freedom fighters or some such glorious thing. It didn't do that. Indeed, in what was probably the most interesting part of the movie - Sands' conversation ...harrowing - surfer
Disturbing, powerful film. Well worth seeing for the outstanding performance from Michael Fassbender and for the unique storytelling and style of director Steve McQueen. Haunting visuals.
For those unfamiliar with the story of hunger-striker Bobby Sands ...