Review #21: 'Hunger' (2008)

Hunger tells the story of the build up and event of the 1981 Irish hunger strike at H.M. Prison Maze, which was led by Irish Republican Army (IRA) volunteer Bobby Sands. The purpose of the strike was to protest against the British government to recognise the politics of republicanism, and to promote to the general public, an understanding of Northern Ireland's desire for independence from 'British' politics. Sands was previously involved in other prison strikes which were unsuccessful, but it was his 66 days of hunger strike that got Margret Thatchers Conservative government to take notice, and effectively paved the way for Northern Ireland's political independence in the form of Sinn Fein, completely radicalising British politics. During the 66 days of hunger strike, Sands was elected into British Parliament, as M.P. of Fermanagh and South Tyrone.

Directed by artist/filmmaker Steve McQueen, who was previously known for winning Britain's controversial Turner prize in 1999. As usual, the awards create a barrage of the public abuse, with (mainly Daily Mail readers') outcry's stating that this is not art. Most of McQueen's work is film, displayed in art galleries, and are usually static camerawork. The most famous piece that was part of his Turner collection, Deadpan (1997), was a short, one camera shot of McQueen himself, stood static as the front of a wooden building falls down, but McQueen is still able to stand as he stood at the spot where an open window is. This is a recreation of a famous Buster Keaton routine. Hunger is McQueen's first Narrative work. Steve also co-wrote the screenplay with Irish playwright, Enda Walsh, who has subsequently adapted his own play, Chatroom (2010), into a screenplay that was directed by Hideo Nakata. Hunger won the Camera D'Or at the 2008 Cannes film festival.

McQueen continues his previous style of filmmaking, with use of many static shots. The camera very rarely moves. This perpetuates a sense of dread within the prison walls, and completely gives the idea to the viewer of the mundanity of day-to-day living in such a high security prison. In the first half of the film we do not meet Bobby Sands (Michael Fassbender), but are introduced to firstly a prison guard Raymond Lohan (played by Stuart Graham), who we see floating through his day, evidently miserable and probably pretty terrified of the IRA. We are also presented with Gerry Campbell - who is new to the prison (Liam McMahon) - and Davey Gillen (Brian Milligan), who have to share a cell. The walls of the cell are covered in Gillen's own excrement. The sense of despair within these walls is palpable. The prisoner's spend all of their time in these small cells, the only time they're out of these is if they are being beaten, or are forced to the bathrooms, viciously have their hair cut, then are thrown into baths and scrubbed with hard-bristle brooms.

Bridging the first and second acts of the film is (what I think to be the best scene of the film) a conversation between Sands and Father Dominic Moran (Liam Cunningham). In this long sequence, almost entirely as a static shot, Sands tells of his plan to go on hunger strike (whilst this scene could be viewed as heavy exposition, after a practically dialogue-free first half, the script works incredibly well in hiding this, and the conversation seems natural), and this leads Moran to question the morality of this 'protest'. He objects as it is suicide.

The last act of the film shows the deterioration of the human body when it is exposed to the effects of hunger. This causes massive internal injuries to the stomach, blood-sugar and heart rate. Sands is constantly monitored in the prison hospital. This last part is acted incredibly by Fassbender, who clearly lost a lot of weight, and portrays in anguish of his slowly withering, dying body. The film has no musical score, its only sounds are background. This also highlights the full emptiness, and despair of prison life. Despite its serious, and horrific subject matter, the film is one of beauty, the long, static shots, leaving you time to soak up the atmosphere in the mise-en-scene, giving you the sense of mundanity. It certainly is a film deserving of the many awards it got. I just can't believe it took me this long to get around to watch.


Directed by: Steve McQueen
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Liam Cunningham, Liam McMahon
Country: UK/Ireland

Rating: ****

Marc Ivamy