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Hunger (2008)
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The debut feature from Turner Prize-winning artist Steve McQueen is a harrowing, unyielding but visually poetic depiction of the protests that took place among Republican prisoners in the Maze Prison, Northern Ireland, in 1981. Focusing on the hunger strike of Bobby Sands (Michael Fassbender), this often wordless film creates an unsettling atmosphere through its detailed depiction of the daily routine, be it the disinfecting of a urine-soaked corridor or the systematic beating of inmates by prison staff (led by a stoic Stuart Graham). One atypically verbal exchange between an utterly convincing Fassbender and priest Liam Cunningham lasts 20 minutes, confirming McQueen as more than an exquisite stylist. Eschewing historical exposition beyond occasional spectral snippets from PM Margaret Thatcher, Hunger forces the viewer to face up to the hardships of prison life during times of conflict, but avoids the soapbox. The result is a work of art from which it's impossible to avert your eyes. AC
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Tell us what you think
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Running time
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91min
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Country of origin
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UK / Ire
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Genre
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Biographical Drama
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Original language
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English
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Screenplay
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Steve McQueen (2), Enda Walsh
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Theatrical distributor
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Pathé
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UK cinema certificate
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15
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UK cinema release date
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October 2008
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| awards information |
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Award |
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Nominee/Winner |
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| British Academy Film Awards 2008 |
The Alexander Korda Award for the Outstanding British Film of the Year |
Laura Hastings-Smith |
Nominee |
| British Academy Film Awards 2008 |
The Alexander Korda Award for the Outstanding British Film of the Year |
Robin Gutch |
Nominee |
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Film certification logos reproduced by kind permission of BBFC |
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