Hunger

"An odyssey, in which the smallest gestures become epic and when the body is the last resource for protest."

2008 1h 36m EN

👍

7.2

SOLID

🔥

90%

CERTIFIED FRESH

💯

METACRITIC

⭐

7.5

IMDB

★7.2TMDB · 1,272🍅90%Rotten Tomatoes●82Metacritic★7.5IMDB · 74,195

DramaHistory

Synopsis

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The story of Bobby Sands, the IRA member who led the 1981 hunger strike during The Troubles in which Irish Republican prisoners tried to win political status.

“An odyssey, in which the smallest gestures become epic and when the body is the last resource for protest.”

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Cast

Michael Fassbender
Bobby Sands
Stuart Graham
Ray Lohan
Liam Cunningham
Priest
Helena Bereen
Raymond's Mother
Laine Megaw
Raymond's Wife
Brian Milligan
Davey Gillen
Liam McMahon
Gerry Campbell
Karen Hassan
Gerry's Girlfriend

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Steve McQueen
Writers: Enda Walsh, Steve McQueen
Languages: English
Countries: Ireland, United Kingdom, Northern Ireland

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 18 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: Ireland, United Kingdom, Northern Ireland.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Steve McQueen, shot by Sean Bobbitt. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by David Holmes. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Joe Walker shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Michael Fassbender and Stuart Graham and Liam Cunningham carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "An odyssey, in which the smallest gestures become epic and when the body is the last resource for protest.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0986233 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Steve McQueen directs. Sean Bobbitt behind the camera. David Holmes scores. Joe Walker cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Ireland, United Kingdom, Northern Ireland. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 18 years ago.
2International production across 3 countries: Ireland, United Kingdom, Northern Ireland.
3Directed by Steve McQueen, shot by Sean Bobbitt. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by David Holmes. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Joe Walker shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Michael Fassbender and Stuart Graham and Liam Cunningham carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "An odyssey, in which the smallest gestures become epic and when the body is the last resource for protest.".
8IMDB entry: tt0986233 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 10 themes, including "prison", "police brutality", "prisoner", "hunger strike".

The technical file

Cinematography: Sean Bobbitt
Original score: David Holmes
Editing: Joe Walker
Production design: Tom McCullagh
Costume design: Anushia Nieradzik
Makeup / hair: Maria Moore
Sound: Paul Davies
Stunt coordinator: Paul Herbert
Runtime: 96 min · 1h 36m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Box office: $2,724,474
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Hunger (2008)
Rotten Tomatoes: 90% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 82/100
IMDB rating: 7.5/10 · 74,195 votes
MPAA: Not Rated

Awards

Won 1 BAFTA Award49 wins & 39 nominations total

Evening Standard British Film Awards
European Film Award for European Discovery of the Year
Caméra d'Or

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Steve McQueen

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2025-05-31
★ 7/10
Well nobody could ever accuse Michael Fassbender is giving half measures here in this graphic and brutal biopic of Irish Republican prisoner Bobby Sands. Shortly after Margaret Thatcher was elected in Britain, he was incarcerated in Belfast’s Maze Prison where his stance against not just the UK but the predominately Unionist views of the population of Northern Ireland at the time were seeing him and his fellow inmates living in what can only be described as squalid (though much of that was self-afflicted) conditions that would not have looked out of place in some South American dictatorship. His protests were falling on deaf and disinterested ears and in the end, he concluded that the ultimate sacrifice was his only option. Not that that, in itself, would solve the problems - but in the hope that it would galvanise younger generations that he was prepared to starve himself to death. The writing provides for quite soaring dialogue that is angrily pithy and effective at illustrating just how divided this community was, but essentially it is the raw imagery that does almost almost all of the heavy lifting. Now the one thing it doesn’t try to do is offer us any sort of balance. Naturally, from his perspective, it is profoundly anti-British, but it does not really spend any time on the historical situation that bedevils this province, still. Much of the violence carried out in the prison was carried out by his fellow Irishmen - a section of the population every bit as convinced by their own beliefs as Sands was by his. It’s this one-sidedness that lets this down a little, especially as the photography towards the end almost sanctifies an actor who already has the eyes and visage to suit that purpose, but there can be no doubt as we watch his steady journey into emaciation that this was a principled man who endured much for his cause. It’s quite a grim watch that does little to inform on the still ongoing debate about Irish unity/Britishness but it is definitely worth watching.
badelf2025-11-22
★ 8/10
Ouch. Margaret Thatcher was a huge bitch. If people can watch this movie and not realize that oversized, corrupt governments are pure evil, then something is deeply wrong. Fassbinder is absolutely phenomenal in this.