I‘ve been thinking of doing a post on 6 months after TIFF reflections. I’d look at the movies that I saw and missed and the ones I’ve caught since. One of those movies is Hunger (Marina’s Review from VIFF). As a pure coincidence IFC films just contacted me to ask me if I’d like to update the trailer and poster for Hunger. Well…. yes I would so here without further ado is the official poster and trailer for Hunger. I still haven’t seen it so I can’t really comment on the movie other than saying that it is one that I regret having missed at TIFF last year.
Official Synopsis: In 1981, a deadly serious battle takes place in the infamous H-block of Belfast’s Maze Prison. Republican inmates, led by Bobby Sands (Fassbender), refuse to eat until the British government acknowledges the IRA as a legitimate political organization. Steve McQueen’s commanding direction captures the phsyical details of their struggle. Is it suicide or martyrdom?
Hunger is finally receiving its wide release on March 20th.
This discussion currently has 9 responses.
March 6, 2009
funny you regret seeing it John because it was the ticket that you gave to me at TIFF that allowed me to catch Hunger.
all kinds of awesome, and that is a brilliant poster.
March 6, 2009
lol… that is too funny. It really was the press and also you mentioning it that got me interested in it and then Marina really liked it (if I remember correctly). Hopefully it will get a wide enough release to show up in Saskatoon.
March 6, 2009
just checked out the trailer, even that is slick. Seems a lot of people are pricking up their ears at the sound of director Steve McQueen’s name now. As first films go, this is insanely good.
March 6, 2009
Agreed. Correct. Agreed.
I’m really curious to see what McQueen is planning next.
March 6, 2009
Ok, so here’s the thing. The movie is good. Very good. I don’t think it is as amazing as everyone else though. All the brutality stuff in the prison is gripping, but I’ve seen that sort of stuff plenty of times in many other films and it just wasn’t particularly moving. Writing notes on tiny pieces of paper. Clever. Any prison movie has all of these sorts of elements.
**minor spoilers**
Where this film exceeds however is with the dialogue and the political struggle. The long take conversation over cigarettes at the table is possibly the best filmed scene of the year. Also the way in which death is shown after the hunger strike with the way the camera moves is completely original and fabulous. But so muchof the other stuff is old hat; hence, not in my top ten.
March 9, 2009
i agree with, andrew. it is good, but i don’t think it is nearly as amazing as others are saying. i think it is far more impressive simply because it is a first effort.
December 20, 2009
I didn’t really care much for Hunger, positively or negatively. It was just there. I didn’t have any emotional attachment to Sands and wasn’t sure if I was supposed to be with him or not or just objectively watching. There’s something about McQueen’s directing that unlike Van Sant’s arty quiet style, is far more distancing. I think Van Sant’s are more naturally quiet, while in Hunger its like they went out of their way for silence.
The movie looks great which kept me from being too bored (though I think there’s some filler here and there). 2.5/5
December 20, 2009
I just caught up with Hunger a few days ago and I would tend to agree with Andrew’s comments a few back. The beginning was good, but not overly different from many similar films from a style point of view (though if you pause to think about those conditions…Geez…).
But the long 17 minute single take conversation is terrific. And it’s followed by another single 5 minute take of Sands monologuing about finding an injured animal that may be even better.
Then the remaining part of the film is virtually dialogue free and I thought a brilliant way of showing Sands wasting away. There’s no chatter about his ideology, no family members trying to talk him out of it, none of that – just the act of starving oneself to death.
December 20, 2009
I’m very curious to see this one after having heard so much about it. I don’t want to build up my expectations so much that they take away the real value of the film, but I hope at least some of what people are saying is true.