The level of director McQueen's debut film is really a level that many directors in the Chinese dynasty should be ashamed of. Using poetic pictures to show such cruel story content, I really admire his talent. He used extreme restraint and an objective angle to express the resistance of the Northern Irish Republican Army in prison and Sands' hunger strike, without the sensational, heroic, passionate emotions that are common in such political (hero?) movies, and without a strong sense of love and hate. ; If it is reasonable to say that the protagonist Sands's performance is great and otherworldly like a hero, there is no obvious performance in this film, and those calm scenes even make people feel a little cold.
In the case of very few lines in the whole film, there is a 25-minute dialogue between Sands and the priest in the middle, and there is an objective record of nearly 18 minutes of long shots. There is no change in the positive and negative shots. It's an adventurous way of shooting (it's easy to feel dull), but it's very impressive (and this director is really bold). Their conversation started with small talk and gradually entered the core of their discussion: hunger strike or negotiation. As moviegoers, as ordinary people, most of them feel like pastors: you should cherish life, thank God for the life you have given, think about your family, and don’t choose the extreme form of hunger strike (especially if they are determined to starve to death) To protest, it should be negotiated peacefully, the British government is unwilling to compromise and will fight for a long time... In short, such a suicide hunger strike should not be used to protest. However, Sands and the others have clearly made up their minds. Even if many people die, even if the process is difficult, even if they may not see the victory of the struggle at all, they are not willing to conduct the so-called negotiation again (they tried before, and the results were not ideal), Unwilling to compromise and live in a political prison without dignity and rights. When the camera cuts to Sands's face, he takes a slow puff of cigarette and tells the story of his childhood, which is really sad, but it also gives a clearer understanding of his thoughts: he will do what he thinks is right. , does not care what others think; he knows the cause and effect of things, but does not change his actions and his beliefs because of it.
The latter part of the film is a record of Sands' hunger strike. There are almost no lines, only the changes in the human body during the hunger strike. Maybe we always think that after a hunger strike, we lose weight and shrink until the heart stops; in fact, the process is longer, more painful, and more unbearable. On the table beside the hospital bed, food is placed there every day. When fatigue, dizziness, collapse, stomach pain, organ failure, etc. occur, what kind of mentality and willpower do you need to insist on rejecting the food in front of you? In my opinion, hunger strikes are more cruel, painful and prolonged than other suicide methods! Hanging, jumping off a building, slaughtering oneself, cutting the abdomen, throwing into a river, burning charcoal, etc., are all instantaneous. Even if burning charcoal is long, it is only a few hours (and it is not too painful). And Sands had 66 days from the hunger strike to his death! I can't imagine how painful and agonizing the process was! That's an extreme "self-mutilation"! In the later stages of the hunger strike, he always saw his own appearance as a child. At the last moment, he saw himself as a child again, running in the wild, the long road ahead, without end; when he stopped to look back, there was no one around him. No; he paused for a while and continued to run - even if he was alone, he would still move towards his goal, even if there was no one to understand, accompany him, no applause or applause, and he didn't know the end point, he would still keep running Go on...
Many shots, actions, and even objects in the film have very deep meaning or implication. When you watch it for the first time and then re-watch some clips, you will see the content that you ignored or couldn't see before. Connotation, you will understand more about the love, hope, reluctance and faith revealed in the dialogue between Sands and the pastor; you will know the prison guard, the injured fist, scouring the walls and the ground, tearing down the Bible and rolling it into cigarettes, in the gap in the barbed window Listening to external news... These all have different representations and deep messages. When I watched the whole film, I remembered Pei Duofei's poem "Life is precious, but love is more expensive. If it is for freedom, both can be thrown away". Our understanding of freedom is actually quite different from the Western world. Compared with the freedom in the full sense of the West, our freedom is only formal and superficial. But fighting for it doesn't seem practical.
During Sands' hunger strike, the humanitarian care given by the prison doctor still touched me a bit. The doctor who took care of him for a long time probably also had sympathy, pity and touching for him, so he helped Sands up, rubbed him with ointment, picked him up, spread him wool, made him an iron frame and a quilt, etc. , reflecting that the world will not only be cruel and cold-hearted people.
The character of Sands, which the director intentionally portrays as Christlike, also reminds me of Wallace in "Braveheart", and also reminds me of the real Che Guevara. Perhaps the pursuit with faith and spiritual support will be long-lasting, firm and indelible. In such an extreme, cruel and painful way to pursue his own beliefs, dreams, dignity and freedom, Sands deserves to be a true hero, even if he is not in the war!
By the way, Fa Shark's performance in "The Hunger" is so wonderful and amazing! If it wasn't for Fa Shark, I probably wouldn't have watched this movie; if it wasn't for Fa Shark, I almost went crazy without seeing him for the first 25 minutes of the movie. Fortunately, the work is really good, let me see it! And after watching the part with the shark twice (obviously looking for abuse, it was heartbreaking to watch), which made me understand the connotation and pursuit of the characters and works more deeply, and also made me admire the director and actors even more. Fa Shark lost weight to 58kg for this play, and for the more than 20 minutes of dialogue, he practiced for many days in the apartment with the actor who played the opposite play. It is really admirable and admirable for his dedication. But it's not enough to be memorable if it's just because of weight loss and dedication. The point is that it is really not easy for him to play such a radical, calm, calm and confident soldier. After losing weight, he can show the physical and mental state of the hunger striker so realistic and painful without giving up his faith. The perseverance is even more difficult. Although Fa Shark doesn't look very much like Sands in history, the character he plays is definitely unmatched and unsurpassed by others!
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