Bobby Sands was one of the leading IRA fighters at the beginning of the 1980s ־ a staunch believer in liberation from British occupation and an independent and united Ireland. Before we arrive at his personal story of sacrifice, this film leads us through the struggle in the prison H־Blocks. The prisoners go on a “dirty” riot; they spread feces on the walls of their cells, refuse wear their prison clothes, and cover their naked bodies with sheets. As Sands’s story unfolds, the viewer’s emotional involvement in his fate will only increase. The original methods director Steve McQueen uses to unwrap the plot, the outstanding performances; all these, and more, turn Hunger into chilling poetic cinema.