Hunger

By my reckoning this Steve McQueen (he should have changed his name!) biopic concerning the controversial life and death of I.R.A. activist Bobby Sands should have been eligible for this year's Oscars though I may be slightly off on that. If it was then HUNGER stands out as the big oversight this time 'round. Let me be straight on this one, HUNGER is in no way shape or form a feel good film and it pulls no punches in it's exploration of Sands as a man but it is one extremely well crafted film hence why I say it's ommison is a puzzling one. Politics may certainly have had something to do with it but it's never stopped the Academy before. Well, it has but it seems to be less of an issue these days. While I often prefer to let you see the films for yourself and this is certainly the case with HUNGER, I will offer this. As brutal as some of the scenes are, I'm told they in no way shape or form approach the violent truth of just how bad the prisons in Northern Ireland were during the troubles. I have friends who were there both inside and out and they all swear this. Also, these same people look fondly on HUNGER though their complaint right across the board was that it should have given more information on Thatcher and what her government was doing at the time. Take from that what you will but I guarantee this....you do not watch a movie like HUNGER without it changing you in some way.