'Hunger' is a brutal film, at times even difficult to watch. For a lesser-known film with a modest budget, it is put together relatively well, providing a very raw account of the 1981 Irish republican hunger strikes. The film contains minimal dialogue and extended scenes of suffering, which I thought were unnecessarily long and felt forced.
The atmosphere throughout the whole film is unnerving and makes for uncomfortable viewing. My main criticism would be the lack of background given to the events in the film - those who aren't familiar with the hunger strikes won't learn much as the majority of the film simply focuses on the suffering of the characters rather than their political motivation.
'Hunger' is a well-made but flawed film. It would have been much better had it concentrated more on telling the story of the hunger strikes rather than trying to shock the viewer with extended scenes of suffering.
The atmosphere throughout the whole film is unnerving and makes for uncomfortable viewing. My main criticism would be the lack of background given to the events in the film - those who aren't familiar with the hunger strikes won't learn much as the majority of the film simply focuses on the suffering of the characters rather than their political motivation.
'Hunger' is a well-made but flawed film. It would have been much better had it concentrated more on telling the story of the hunger strikes rather than trying to shock the viewer with extended scenes of suffering.