Film of the Week: 5
 |
| Hunger (2008) |
Back in 1981, the United Kingdom had quite a dark year. The first case of AIDS, the Brixton Riots, the Yorkshire Ripper was convicted and the Hunger strike at Maze prison in Northern Ireland which ended this week on October 2nd.
This outstanding film based on the hunger strike was directed by first timer Steve McQueen (no relation to the King of Cool) and was first rejected by the Irish Film Board and was partly funded by Film4 amongst a few others.
However it later became one of the most successful Irish films and even went on to win the prestigious Caméra d'Or award for first-time filmmakers at the Cannes Film Festival and was one of the best films of the year.
It stared Michael Fassbender, an amazing young German actor who has been showing tremendous promise, giving one great performance after another in such films as Fish Tank, Inglourious Basterds & X-Men: First Class.
The opening scene is a moment of brilliance. We witness prison officer Raymond Lohan as he wakes up and prepares for work. He has breakfast in his house with his wife very quietly and looks out the window before going out. When he heads out to his car he looks down both ends of the street very calmly, then looks under his car. He then gets in, pauses for a moment and gently starts his car and drives off.
Just by witnessing that scene, you can really feel the tension and paranoia in the country at the time. It is quite a master work by first timer Steve McQueen, as he swifts from scene to scene with a gentle but firm hand and shows us all the brutality and disgust in the prison.
From the beatings, to the harassment, even showing us a few of the prisoners spreading their excrement in circles over their wall in their cell (the "slop out"). And let's not forget the magnificent scene where Sands has a calm talk with the priest who tries to talk him out of the strike as he warns him of death.
Bobby Sands died at the age of 27 after being on a hunger strike for 66 days and was the leader of the Irish republican prisoner's hunger strike who were protested against the removal of Special Category Status.
This is by far not an easy film to watch but it is one of the greatest films ever to come out of Ireland. I urge you to see this film.
Click here for the trailer
The opening scene is a moment of brilliance. We witness prison officer Raymond Lohan as he wakes up and prepares for work. He has breakfast in his house with his wife very quietly and looks out the window before going out. When he heads out to his car he looks down both ends of the street very calmly, then looks under his car. He then gets in, pauses for a moment and gently starts his car and drives off.
Just by witnessing that scene, you can really feel the tension and paranoia in the country at the time. It is quite a master work by first timer Steve McQueen, as he swifts from scene to scene with a gentle but firm hand and shows us all the brutality and disgust in the prison.
 |
| Bobby Sands |
From the beatings, to the harassment, even showing us a few of the prisoners spreading their excrement in circles over their wall in their cell (the "slop out"). And let's not forget the magnificent scene where Sands has a calm talk with the priest who tries to talk him out of the strike as he warns him of death.
Bobby Sands died at the age of 27 after being on a hunger strike for 66 days and was the leader of the Irish republican prisoner's hunger strike who were protested against the removal of Special Category Status.
This is by far not an easy film to watch but it is one of the greatest films ever to come out of Ireland. I urge you to see this film.
Click here for the trailer
Comments
Post a Comment