There are not many movies these days that can actually break the barrier of audience and actor to the point where you feel the character, but I think this movie definitely falls into that category. I think Steve McQueen did an excellent job with this film and I really look forward to viewing any of his work in the future.
The movie started out a bit odd at first not sure why I got that feeling but nonetheless a feeling is a feeling. The first ten minutes of the film said alot about the movie as a whole. I am referring specifically to the camera lenses used as well as the colors and shadow work done with lighting on the set which I thought very much set the tone of the movie right off the bat. One of the biggest things I liked about this movie was its use of silence to set a tone or bring importance to a scene. Two scenes come to mind when I think about silence in movies and that is first and foremost in The Godfather III when Michael Corleone is kneeling on the steps of an opera house and there is no sound but you see him screaming violently almost to the point of sheer agony and the shot stays like this until his screams fade in with the soundtrack. The second instance is in the movie La Vie En Rose, and in this scene again, ironically, the main character is screaming violently in pain and sorrow but the shot is still and there is no sound.
I mentioned the instance of these two above scenes because they touch on something which I am a huge fan of in film and that is surreality. Both of the above mentioned scenes, though silent, involve so much emotion on the part of the actors that they cross into a surreal world for the length of that scene and it stays with you. and that is why I love when a director works with an actor and they find that perfect balance that just makes a scene jump out at you and really hold your attention. Hunger was definitely one of those movies and we talked about in class how the scene with the riot squad got to alot of peopl, they couldnt handle it. Maybe this was due to the fact that it was very violent and to quote our teacher, "visceral," but it was to me so surreal that I did'nt want to look away from it I was wrapped up in the scene as if I was there.
Overall this was an excellent piece of film that was well worth seeing and I'm definitely glad I was able to view it.
