"Hunger" is a film about reflection, choice, and history.
Although the English is not very good, for the translation of "HUNGER", I still think "Hunger Strike" or "Fasting Man" is better.
This famous incident took place in the infamous Metz Prison in Northern Ireland. The slow-paced prologue unfolds against a lifeless background. This prison guard is a bit clean, and he will carefully wipe off the scum after eating; a little cautious, he will look around before driving on the road; a little humorous, he can also tell his colleagues jokes in uniforms ; It’s not hard to notice that there are old scars everywhere on his hands.
After a while, he began to wash the blood stains by the pool, then stood blankly in the snow, leaned against the wall, lit a cigarette, and the snow fell on his new injury, as if he had no consciousness, looking numbly into the distance . (This scene appears repeatedly in the movie three times)
Recall the opening of the movie: Northern Ireland, 1981. Since 1969, 2,187 people have been killed in disputes. The British government has revoked the political status of prisoners. The militants of the Irish Republican Army have protested in extreme ways in prison.
Remind those who want to see that it is best not to choose a meal time. The confrontation for a very long period of time was carried out when the revolutionaries used dirt to vent; the prison guards used violent confrontation. The militants were naked, doing everything they could to destroy, living in a room graffiti with their own feces; the guards were fully armed, and they also exposed themselves to the flesh during the beatings. This embarrassing situation, for the prisoners and the prison guards, is bad. What is the difference?
The leader in this prison battle is Bobby Sands. He is only 29 years old. After four years of protracted resistance, instead of destroying his will, he has become stronger. After a fierce protest at a gathering, special police were also dispatched. The naked body encountered the heavily armed group fight. This scene is really tragic: the bruised and bloody demonstrators fell on their backs with relief; the brutal and suppressed guards hid in the corner, trembling all over, and sobbing with tears. The director seems to have no position of his own here. Throughout the process, he is like a third party, making it impossible for people to discern his opinions.
The new form of confrontation and the turning point in the movie’s theme were carried out after Raymond Lohan was shot, and Bobby and the priest had a 22-minute dialogue. These 22 minutes, including 17 minutes of constant-focused dialogue performance, and 5 minutes of Bao Bi's personal speech is also an absolute highlight of the film.
In so many conversations, I remember two sentences, Father: You pointed your gun at the wrong person. Bobby: This is politics!
To be honest, in this long-term dialogue, I cannot be inclined. I understand the priest's position, and I do not deny Bobby's position. And my emotions are like the crappy and inaccurate translation on the disc, and it is indescribably complicated and tangled.
The hunger strike began.
This silent struggle was accompanied by a decomposing body, which was in sharp contrast with the previous big movements. The room was clean, the verbal abuse disappeared, the violence disappeared, and the guards became amiable... This almost realistic hunger strike record made the whole "hunger" process like a crucifixion. Seeing it, Bobby (his actor) was sunken in this way, leaving only skin and bones, lying on the bed rotting with his flesh, drying out like a skeleton. They compromised to replace him with a clean mattress, and in order to prevent the weight of the quilt from oppressing him, they also set up an iron frame on his body. This kind of silent resistance and the courage to defend life will make people feel shocked, and they can't help but marvel: the power of "faith" is beyond both life and freedom, so supreme!
When Bobby was dying, thinking of himself as a teenager, he ran in the fields in the setting sun and plunged into a black forest. There was no direction in front of him, and echoes ooze from behind. Such a picture makes me understand that on the one hand, it symbolizes the absolute loneliness of the spiritual world; it also sees through the original desire of the characters. "Faith" is a kind of persistent spiritual support for followers; for founders, it may be derived from a simple growth dream.
The struggle in Metz Prison did not end. The hero of the Northern Irish Republican Army who died after 66 days of hunger strike was finally listed in Congress. Following him, 9 people died on hunger strike, and 16 prison guards were killed in protest against unclean blankets. In the following months, the British government agreed to all the prisoners' requests (although there was no official official confirmation).
Just as the British "Guardian" commented: ""Hunger" is a primitive and powerful film work that always reminds the world that there is such an ugly and tragic past in the history of Britain and Ireland." I want to say. Yes, the historical existence that allows people to reflect is not terrible; what is terrible is the lack of ability and spirit to reflect. In an age of temperament crisis of faith, numbness, inertia, following, and attachment have become social criticisms. This nation needs people with faith to come. Salvation, there should be such voices at all times to help us find another selves and liberate us.
View more about Hunger reviews
