Hunger
Director Steve McQueen
Countries
Duration 91 min
Synopsis
The first long feature film by British artist Steve McQueen examines Bobby Sand’s last months of life, an IRA activist that decided to protest 27 years ago against the conditions of prisoners in Northern Ireland’s Maze prison. This movie is an account of the 1981 hunger strike that Sands lead at the time as a protest for special category status for republican prisoners. This political gesture made him a symbol of the Republican army’s fight, particularly after his death. In Hunger there is no simplistic notion of “hero” or “martyr”, both being questioned and evaluated.
The first long feature film by British artist Steve McQueen examines Bobby Sand’s last months of life, an IRA activist that decided to protest 27 years ago against the conditions of prisoners in Northern Ireland’s Maze prison. This movie is an account of the 1981 hunger strike that Sands lead at the time as a protest for special category status for republican prisoners. This political gesture made him a symbol of the Republican army’s fight, particularly after his death. In Hunger there is no simplistic notion of “hero” or “martyr”, both being questioned and evaluated.