Hunger (2008)

Steve McQueen’s Hunger (2008) is an unflinching and haunting portrayal of the 1981 Irish hunger strike led by Bobby Sands. It is not just a film but an experience that lingers long after the credits roll. Below, you’ll find a detailed exploration of the movie through multiple lenses.

Detailed Summary

Life Inside the Maze Prison

The film begins with daily life inside the Maze Prison in Northern Ireland during the early 1980s. Republican prisoners demand recognition as political prisoners rather than criminals. When their demands are denied, they begin “blanket protests” (refusing prison uniforms) and “dirty protests” (smearing excrement on the walls and refusing to wash). These early scenes focus heavily on the brutal conditions and the psychological toll of imprisonment.

The Brutality of the Guards

One of the film’s most disturbing yet essential elements is its depiction of prison guards’ violence. We see beatings, forceful searches, and the cruelty inflicted both on inmates and on the guards themselves—like a guard checking under his car every morning for bombs before work. This creates a tense duality: the film refuses to simplify or glorify either side.

Bobby Sands Enters the Frame

About halfway through, Bobby Sands (played by Michael Fassbender) takes center stage. The film shifts from an observational lens to Sands’ personal decision to go on a hunger strike as a form of political protest. His reasoning is not presented in melodrama but in calm, devastating conversation.

The Iconic 17-Minute Dialogue Scene

One of cinema’s longest unbroken dialogue scenes occurs between Sands and a priest (Liam Cunningham). They sit at a table, chain-smoking, debating morality, violence, and faith. Sands calmly lays out why he believes hunger striking is the ultimate non-violent act of resistance. This scene is the backbone of the film—it intellectualizes and justifies the suffering we are about to witness.

The Hunger Strike Begins

Sands commits to the strike, knowing it will almost certainly lead to death. We watch his health deteriorate with excruciating realism: his body wastes away, his skin breaks, sores spread, and his physical suffering becomes unbearable to watch. Fassbender’s physical transformation is shocking, as he lost significant weight for authenticity.

Movie Ending

The film’s ending is devastating and unrelenting. After weeks of refusing food, Bobby Sands’ body completely gives out. The audience sees his frailty in close, almost clinical detail. He hallucinates memories of his childhood—running in a field, carefree and innocent—contrasted with the dying man he has become. Finally, Sands dies after 66 days of starvation. The film closes with on-screen text explaining that ten prisoners ultimately died during the hunger strike, which captured worldwide attention and intensified the Northern Irish conflict. There is no catharsis, no triumphant release—only the stark reality of sacrifice and suffering.

Are There Post-Credits Scenes?

No. Hunger has no post-credits scenes. The ending is deliberately final and sobering, and adding any extra footage would undercut its gravity.

Type of Movie

Hunger is a historical drama and biographical political film. It combines realism, art cinema, and political storytelling. McQueen’s visual style is poetic yet brutal, with a heavy emphasis on atmosphere and silence.

Cast

• Michael Fassbender as Bobby Sands
• Liam Cunningham as Father Dominic Moran
• Stuart Graham as Raymond Lohan
• Brian Milligan as Davey Gillen
• Lalor Roddy as Prisoner Gerry Campbell

Film Music and Composer

The film is largely minimalistic in its use of music. McQueen intentionally avoids a traditional score to heighten realism. Sound design—breathing, dripping water, doors slamming—acts as the “music.” This makes moments of silence even more oppressive.

Filming Locations

Most of the film was shot in Northern Ireland and England, with sets replicating the Maze Prison built in detail. Authenticity was key: the claustrophobic, narrow cells were recreated to reflect the stench and suffocation of real conditions.

Awards and Nominations

• Won the Camera d’Or at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival (best first feature).
• Michael Fassbender received multiple Best Actor awards from film critics’ circles.
• Won Irish Film & Television Awards (Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor).
• BAFTA nominations for Outstanding Debut.

Behind the Scenes Insights

• Michael Fassbender underwent an extreme diet to lose over 30 pounds, bringing frightening realism to Sands’ physical decline.
• Steve McQueen initially worked as a visual artist and brought his gallery sensibilities into the film—long takes, minimal dialogue, heavy use of imagery.
• The 17-minute conversation between Fassbender and Cunningham was rehearsed for weeks like a stage play.
• Many scenes of prison conditions were based directly on interviews with survivors of the Maze Prison protests.

Inspirations and References

The film is inspired by real historical events: the 1981 Irish hunger strike, led by Bobby Sands, who became an international symbol of resistance against British rule in Northern Ireland. McQueen also drew inspiration from political prison narratives and his background in fine art, shaping the film into both history lesson and visual meditation.

Alternate Endings and Deleted Scenes

There are no known alternate endings; McQueen was precise in his vision. Some dialogue and transitional scenes were trimmed for pacing, but nothing that changes the story’s trajectory.

Book Adaptations and Differences

The film is not adapted from a single book but draws from historical records, memoirs, and interviews with former IRA prisoners. Its focus on atmosphere rather than exposition sets it apart from written accounts, which often delve into political detail.

Memorable Scenes and Quotes

Key Scenes

• Prisoners smearing excrement on the walls with their bare hands.
• Guards beating inmates in a harrowing, wordless sequence.
• The 17-minute debate scene between Sands and the priest.
• Sands lying dying, hallucinating his boyhood running in a field.

Iconic Quotes

• Bobby Sands: “I have my belief, and in all its simplicity, that belief keeps me warm.”
• Father Moran: “You’re not dying for freedom. You’re dying for the sake of dying.”
• Bobby Sands: “We are fighting for the right to be recognized as what we are: political prisoners.”

Easter Eggs and Hidden Details

• The fly that lands on Sands in his bed was not scripted—Fassbender stayed in character, and McQueen kept it as a symbol of decay.
• The film uses minimal dialogue in the first third, reflecting the silenced voices of prisoners.
• The childhood flashbacks are shot in brighter light, symbolizing innocence lost.

Trivia

• Fassbender’s weight loss regime was supervised by a nutritionist to avoid permanent damage.
• The 17-minute take is one of the longest uninterrupted dialogue shots in modern cinema.
• The film premiered at Cannes to a standing ovation.
• Steve McQueen originally wanted to make an installation piece but transformed it into a feature film after research.

Why Watch?

Because Hunger is not just a film—it’s a visceral piece of political art. It’s for those who want to understand history, feel the weight of human endurance, and witness Michael Fassbender’s breakthrough performance. It’s not an easy watch, but it is unforgettable.

Director’s Other Movies

• Shame (2011)
• 12 Years a Slave (2013)
• Widows (2018)
• Small Axe (2020)

Recommended Films for Fans

• In the Name of the Father (1993)
• The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006)
• Bloody Sunday (2002)
• A Prophet (2009)
• Son of Saul (2015)