Line #3 Film/Hunger


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Hunger_film_4871.jpg]]
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3	''Hunger'' is a 2008 Irish-British historical drama film, the first to be directed by artist [[Creator/SteveMcQueenDirector Steve McQueen]] and the first of several collaborations between [=McQueen=] and actor Creator/MichaelFassbender.
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5	It revolves around the Maze Prison during UsefulNotes/TheTroubles, and the various ways they protest to regain their political status (revoked by the British government in 1976), starting with "no-wash" protests and ending in a hunger strike -- as led by Irish Republican Army member Bobby Sands (Fassbender).
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7	''Hunger'' premiered at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, winning the Caméra d'Or award (an honor for first-time filmmakers) as well as several more awards throughout the 2008-2009 European circuit.
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9	[[JustForFun/IThoughtItMeant Not to be confused]] with the ''VideoGame/{{Prototype}}'' [[{{Fanfic.Hunger}} fanfic]] of the [[SimilarlyNamedWorks same name]], or with the 1974 animated short ''WesternAnimation/{{Hunger\|1974}}'', or with the 1983 movie ''Film/TheHunger''.
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11	!!Tropes used in ''Hunger'' include:
12	* AnimalMotifs: The image of [[DisturbedDoves black birds]] flying is used throughout Bobby's strike as his condition worsens, perhaps symbolizing [[spoiler:his soul leaving his body as he slowly dies]].
13	** [[spoiler:As he convulses in his bed]], the image flashes momentarily several times.
14	** [[spoiler:Immediately after he dies]], we see the birds fly off and disappear into the sky.
15	* AndIMustScream: Imagine being Raymond Lohan's catatonic mother, completely unable to communicate or move, and [[spoiler:witnessing your own son getting shot in front of you, his corpse slumping into your lap, his blood completely covering you, while all you can do is [[ThousandYardStare stare blankly ahead]]...]]
16	* AssShove: We see multiple naked prisoners get less-than-sanitary cavity searches, having gloved fingers shoved up their rectums before having their ''mouths'' checked ''[[NauseaFuel by the same fingers]]''.
17	* BilingualBonus: Longtime prisoner Gerry Campbell attempts to converse with his new cellmate Davey Gillen in Irish, but it becomes quickly apparent that Gillen has no knowledge of the language.
18	* BoomHeadshot: Prison officer Raymond Lohan visits his catatonic mother in a retirement home. [[spoiler:An IRA assassin shoots him in the back of the head.]]
19	* BodyHorror: Of a variant made all the more harrowing by its basis in reality. Bobby's body undergoes graphic deterioration during the strike, with effects including but not limited to gaping sores forming on his skin.
20	* DiesWideOpen: [[spoiler:Bobby in the end.]]
21	* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: The prisoners' puddles of urine all flow into one continuous stream on the floor of their cellblock, which later on in the film is swept away by a prison guard.
22	* ExcrementStatement: The purpose of the "dirty protests", where the prisoners smear their feces all over the walls of their cells and urinate out into the hallway.
23	* FanDisservice: Continuous male nudity (including [[MaleFrontalNudity full-frontal]]) would be appealing to some, except in this case the males are unwashed, unnaturally thin, and often abused by prison officers.
24	* ForegoneConclusion: [[spoiler:The [[TrailersAlwaysSpoil American DVD box]] tells you that it involves "[Bobby] Sands' last days." Needless to say, he dies in the end.]]
25	* LeaveTheCameraRunning: Long shots of walls, corridors, hands, and the like being washed populate the film.
26	* ImagineSpot: [[spoiler:Just before Bobby dies, he vividly experiences a memory of himself jogging in the woods as a child. He also imagines being visited by his child self several times.]]
27	* InvulnerableKnuckles: Averted; prison officer Raymond hurts his hand pretty badly after punching the wall by accident.
28	* MercyKill: Bobby tells the story of an injured foal that he and his friends found at a young age; he took the initiative to end its suffering, knowing that it was the right thing to do.
29	* MoodWhiplash: At multiple points, the tone of a scene shifts dramatically at an instant.
30	** Bobby, Davey and Gerry are all sitting idly in their cells...before Bobby begins screaming, shouting, and trashing his room, inciting Davey and Gerry to do the same.
31	** Prison officer Raymond Lohan is visiting his catatonic mother in her nursing home...[[spoiler:before an IRA assassin calmly walks in and puts a bullet in his head]].
32	* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: During the riot squad scene, the focus subtly shifts to one officer who seems more antsy and erratic than the rest. When he gets headbutted by a prisoner, he immediately lashes out, beating the prisoner viciously with his nightstick. We then see him isolated outside of the room, breaking down in tears, horrified at his actions.
33	* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: Some of the prisoners get brutally beaten by a collection of riot officers.
34	* TheOner: Several count as LeaveTheCameraRunning. Particularly notable is a scene where Bobby Sands and his priest discuss the upcoming hunger strike; it goes for 17 and a half minutes, a record length.
35	* ShootTheShaggyDog: Almost. [[spoiler:Bobby Sands dies, 9 more men die after him, and their goal (the status of political prisoner) is never completely accomplished. They do, however, get equivalent rights granted to the prisoners.]]
36	* SilenceIsGolden: Much of the film goes by with little to no dialogue.
37	* TraumaticHaircut: Bobby's introductory scene shows him getting one while having his head pinned to a seat, ridding him of the hair he'd grown out during the dirty protest.

Context Film / Hunger