Hunger (2008)
86%RT Audience Score: 83%
Awards & Nominations: Won 1 BAFTA Award
33 wins & 48 nominations total
Unflinching, uncompromising, vivid and vital, Steve McQueen’s challenging debut is not for the faint hearted, but it’s still a richly rewarding retelling of troubled times
Hunger is a movie that will leave you feeling like you’ve been punched in the gut, but in a good way. It’s a visually stunning film that manages to capture the horror and beauty of prison life. Michael Fassbender’s performance is nothing short of phenomenal, and the 24-minute scene in the cell block is a true masterpiece. Sure, there are some art-house symbolism that might go over your head, but who cares when you’re watching something this powerful? Overall, Hunger is a must-watch for anyone who loves cinema that’s daring, brutal, and vital.
Production Company(ies)
Distributor
IFC Films
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG-13 for intense violent thematic material and disturbing images – all involving teens
Year of Release
2008
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:NA
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Runtime:1h 32m
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Language(s):
-
Country of origin:United Kingdom
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Mar 20, 2009 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 16, 2010
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
Hunger, drama, Steve McQueen, Michael Fassbender, Liam Cunningham, Stuart Graham, Brian Milligan, Liam McMahon, Helena Bereen, Enda Walsh, political prisoners, IRA, Northern Ireland, Bobby Sands, hunger strike, prison, violence, brutality, challenging, unflinching, uncompromising, vivid, vital, richly rewarding, troubled times, box office, budget, IFC Films, reviewed by Keith Uhlich, Matt Singer, Ryan Gilbey, Brian Tallerico, J.R Jones, Michael Phillips, Fico Cangiano, Tom Cassidy, Common Sense Media, Dustin Chang, MaryAnn Johanson, Jason Best, English, limited release, streaming, Caméra d’Or, cinematography, one-point perspective, wide shots, nonverbal language, emaciation, physical transformation, depressing, absorbing, atmospheric experience
Worldwide gross: NA
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): NA
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Liam Cunningham – Father Moran
Stuart Graham – Ray Lohan
Brian Milligan – Davey Gillen
Liam McMahon – Gerry Campbell
Helena Bereen – Ray’s mother
Director(s)
Steve McQueen
Writer(s)
Steve McQueen, Enda Walsh
Producer(s)
NA
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Won 1 BAFTA Award
33 wins & 48 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (133) | Top Critics (50) | Fresh (120) | Rotten (13)
McQueen seems too enamored of his shorthand art-house symbolism for [the film] to truly resonate.
July 25, 2020 | Rating: 3/6
Keith Uhlich
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
There is very little context, because on the inside, prison has no context. There is just horror. And maybe, sometimes, in the least expected places, beauty.
September 18, 2017
Matt Singer
The Rumpus
TOP CRITIC
The stylistic palette of McQueen’s picture, and its grasp of cinematic vocabulary, elevate the film to a purely visceral realm, so that it seems to bypass your eyes and ears and go straight for your nerve endings.
November 2, 2015
Ryan Gilbey
New Statesman
TOP CRITIC
Steve McQueen’s Hunger is a daring, brutal, vital piece of filmmaking.
April 21, 2009
Brian Tallerico
Movie Retriever
TOP CRITIC
Midway through the movie there’s an epic 24-minute scene…in the claustrophobic cell block the protesters have already internalized their cause so deeply that the world of words seems distant and inconsequential.
April 17, 2009 | Rating: 3/4
J. R. Jones
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
It’s a strength of this carefully composed, almost obsessively controlled picture that it has no interest in the conventional biographical focus on a subject.
April 17, 2009 | Rating: 3/4
Michael Phillips
Chicago Tribune
TOP CRITIC
Michael Fassbender is phenomenal in Steve McQueen’s impressive and captivating feature debut. [Full review in Spanish]
May 14, 2022 | Rating: 3.5/5
Fico Cangiano
CineXpress Podcast
It’s a breathtaking piece of filming born out of a story riddled with violence, gore, maggots, and human waste.
January 5, 2022 | Rating: 5/5
Tom Cassidy
Common Sense Media
Fassbender’s portrayal of man of conviction is quite astonishing. Whether you agree with IRA’s tactics to achieve their political aim, one can’t take away Sands’ conviction in his beliefs. And that’s beautiful.
March 24, 2021
Dustin Chang
Floating World
[P]owerfully cinematic, it veers from nearly wordless stretches of intense imagery so vivid they’re surrealistic nightmares come to life to one 20-minute, unbroken dialogue between two men on opposite sides of the same side…
February 7, 2021
MaryAnn Johanson
Flick Filosopher
McQueen is clearly a major talent and he has produced a work that is emotionally harrowing and artistically audacious.
November 14, 2020
Jason Best
What’s On TV
Hunger is an unforgettable experience that is the perfect balance of the horrific and the beautiful.
October 9, 2019 | Rating: 4.5/5
David Harris
Spectrum Culture…
Plot
In a dystopian future, the totalitarian nation of Panem is divided into 12 districts and the Capitol. Each year two young representatives from each district are selected by lottery to participate in The Hunger Games. Part entertainment, part brutal retribution for a past rebellion, the televised games are broadcast throughout Panem. The 24 participants are forced to eliminate their competitors while the citizens of Panem are required to watch. When 16-year-old Katniss’ young sister, Prim, is selected as District 12’s female representative, Katniss volunteers to take her place. She and her male counterpart, Peeta, are pitted against bigger, stronger representatives, some of whom have trained for this their whole lives.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Michael Fassbender lost a significant amount of weight to portray Bobby Sands in the film.
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