February 5, 2009 -- “Hunger” is a grim, stark, shocking portrait of hellish prison life during a famous hunger strike by Irish prisoners at the British-operated Maze Prison in Northern Ireland in 1981. This is a lean, spare film, which is highly visual. There are long stretches of film with no dialog.
In contrast to most of the film, one pivotal scene in the film does have a great deal of dialog, and that is a 22-minute scene where IRA prisoner Bobby Sands (played by Michael Fassbender of “300”) explains why he is leading a hunger strike to a visiting priest, Father Dominic Moran (Liam Cunningham of “The Wind That Shakes the Barley”). This spirited and lengthy discussion is like a debate. Father Moran suspects that Sands may be planning a suicide under the guise of political protest. He notes that the inhuman conditions at the prison might make anyone suicidal.
Sands makes a reasoned argument that a hunger strike is the only course of action open to the prisoners. He also argues that in this particular instance, death by hunger is like a mercy killing. This argument includes a flashback to one of the few scenes in the film involving a prisoner which does not take place in the prison itself. It takes place in a bucolic country setting, but is no less grim, despite that. The cruel, filthy living conditions in the prison, the beatings and mistreatment of the prisoners are shown in graphic detail. A prison guard, Raymond Lohan (Stuart Graham of “Michael Collins”) wearily goes through his daily routine, which includes checking his car for bombs and his neighborhood for snipers. Lohan beats uncooperative prisoners but takes no pleasure in it. It's just a job, a dangerous and inhumane job at that.
The film shows how the inhumane conditions in the prison and the mistreatment of the prisoners affects both the guards and the prisoners. Each side of this conflict shows unlimited hatred for the other. Each side is unwilling to give an inch. Only a few people in the prison show any mercy towards the prisoners, and most of that is directed towards the prisoners who are starving themselves to death. It shows how the human spirit can survive in the worst of conditions. It shows how prison can bring out the worst in people, and the best in people. The film graphically illustrates the seemingly endless cycle of violence and vengeance killings typical during the long years of Northern Ireland's “troubles.” Also featured in the film, as a younger prisoner, is Davey Gillen (Brian Milligan of “The Boxer”). This film rates a B.
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