Hunger (2008) 4.5/5 STARS
Directed by Steve McQueen, Hunger (2008) is a historical drama piece on the hunger strike that took place in Northern Ireland prisons back in 1981. I’ve been eager in anticipation to be able to review this one considering it’s close to home and my parents talk about it being on the news when they were young, so the production of this movie isn’t just an interesting watch, but also educational for anyone who didn’t live in Northern Ireland through those times. The plot begins with Bobby Sands (Michael Fassbender) who is a member of the Provisional Irish Army (IRA) and who led the second hunger strike initiated by the IRA. This was after the ‘no wash protest’ which was led by fellow prisoner Brendan Hughes. These were an attempt to regain political status after it was taken away by the British Government in 1967.
Hunger (2008) was actually turned down by the Irish Film Board leading it to be co-funded by; Northern Ireland Screen, Broadcast Commission of Ireland, Channel 4, Film 4 Productions and the Wales Creative IP Fund. The film was based in the HM Prison Maze, where paramilitary prisoners were held during the Troubles and it is situated in South West Belfast. The prison was closed in 2000 and demolished six years later, the surrounding buildings left then turned into a peace centre.
Not only is Michael Fadssbender one of my favourite actors but he is also half Irish and has starred in some of my favourite films such as; 300 (2006), Inglourious Basterds (2009), X-Men: Apocalypse (2015), Alien Covenant (2017) and X-men: Dark Phoenix (2019). Fadssbender dropped a whopping 40 pounds for this role, not only this but McQueen allowed little dialogue for the prisoners, leading the performance to be focused on gestures and actions to depict the emotion behind the strike and awful prison conditions. Fassbender was the perfect choice for this production as both an Irishman and multi-award winner. He isn’t the only award winner here though, the film won the Sydney Film Festival award for Best Film and was also the winner of 7 Irish Film and Television Awards 2009, among others. He is joined on the cast by Liam Cunningham who starred in War Horse (2011) and more notably was Davos Seaworth in Game of Thrones (2012-2019). Liam McMahon also joins, known for his part in ’71 (2014) and The Fall (2014) both shot after Hunger (2008).
The film was of course a success, winning the prestigious Caméra d’Or award for the first-time filmmakers. A great production is one thing, but to be well-made and based on a true story simply intensifies the success. Although it’s based on a true story, there are elements that I think were modified to make it easier to watch for viewers. These include the severe conditions of the cells the prisoners lived in, and the ways in which they made these worse to protest their political status. Due to the historical and political nature of the movie I would recommend this mostly to people from the UK and Ireland as it gives us a look into what happened during The Northern Ireland Hunger Strike. I feel I must add a Trigger Warning for this film, as those with eating disorders or who have recovered from an eating disorder, could find it harmful or triggering.
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