Hunger (2008) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Bobby Sands begins his hunger strike to protest the British government's decision to remove special category status for IRA prisoners. This status had previously allowed prisoners to be treated as prisoners of war rather than criminals. Sands believes that by willingly suffering and dying, he can draw international attention to the Irish republican cause and force negotiations around prisoner rights.

Foreshadowing: Earlier scenes show the prisoners' collective rebellion against prison conditions, establishing the mounting tension that leads to Sands's drastic decision.

• bobby sands
• ira
• hunger strike
• prisoner of war
• special category status
• protest

Raymond Lohan is shot by an unidentified IRA assassin while visiting his elderly mother at a nursing home. The IRA views prison guards as part of the British oppressive system, and targeting them is meant as retaliation for the brutal treatment of IRA prisoners in the Maze Prison. His death occurs suddenly and without explanation, highlighting the randomness of sectarian violence.

Foreshadowing: The film opens with Lohan checking his car for bombs, establishing that his role as a prison guard makes him a target.

• raymond lohan
• ira assassin
• nursing home
• prison guard
• retaliation

The prisoners refuse to wear prison-issued uniforms as a political statement. By wearing their own clothes or nothing at all, they assert that they are prisoners of war, not criminals. This protest, known as the "blanket protest" and later the "dirty protest," is intended to force the British government to recognize their political status.

Foreshadowing: Davey's arrival establishes the practice when he immediately refuses the uniform and is labeled "non-cooperative."

• prison uniforms
• blanket protest
• dirty protest
• political status
• ira prisoners

Sands recounts to Father Dominic Moran how he once drowned an injured foal in Donegal, believing it was a merciful act to end its suffering despite facing community backlash. He draws a direct parallel between this act and his hunger strike, choosing to end his own life to make a meaningful political statement, accepting the physical destruction of his body as a form of sacrifice.

Foreshadowing: This story foreshadows Sands's willingness to endure slow death for his cause.

• foal
• mercy killing
• donegal
• sacrifice
• political statement
• bobby sands

Sands spits in Lohan's face as an act of defiance during the brutal forced shaving of inmates. This deliberate provocation is meant to assert his dignity and resistance against the humiliation of having his hair and beard forcibly removed by prison authorities. The act enrages Lohan, who punches Sands but misses, injuring his hand on the wall.

Foreshadowing: The film establishes the escalating tensions between prisoners and guards from the opening scenes.

• bobby sands
• raymond lohan
• spit
• defiance
• shaving
• humiliation

The new guard who replaces Lohan shows Sands his knuckles, which are tattooed with "UDA", the Ulster Defence Association, a Loyalist paramilitary organization. This symbolizes the sectarian nature of the prison system and the political divisions running through even the prison staff. Sands, despite his extreme weakness, defiantly rises to confront the guard.

Foreshadowing: This detail reinforces the film's portrayal of the prison as a microcosm of the broader political conflict.

• uda
• loyalist
• tattoo
• prison guard
• sectarian

After being forced into second-hand civilian clothing, a humiliation designed to strip them of their identity, Sands tears apart his clothes in a fit of rage. This act sparks a collective rebellion as other prisoners follow suit, turning their nakedness into a statement of defiance against the authorities' attempts to degrade them.

Foreshadowing: The scene follows the forced shaving, escalating the prisoners' resistance.

• clothes
• rebellion
• defiance
• nakedness
• humiliation

Bobby Sands survives for 66 days on hunger strike before dying. During this time, his body deteriorates severely, suffering from sores, kidney failure, low blood pressure, and debilitating stomach ulcers. His death becomes a pivotal moment in the Troubles, making him a martyr for the Irish republican cause.

Foreshadowing: The film progressively shows his physical decline throughout the second half.

• 66 days
• hunger strike
• deterioration
• kidney failure
• death

The film opens with Lohan to establish the brutal prison environment and the human cost of the conflict from both sides. By showing a prison guard's daily routine and eventual assassination, the film demonstrates that the Troubles victimizes everyone involved. This perspective shifts to Sands as he becomes the focal point of the hunger strike.

Foreshadowing: Lohan's assassination marks the transition to focusing entirely on Sands.

• raymond lohan
• perspective
• brutality
• both sides
• troubles

The dirty protest refers to Gerry smearing his cell with feces from floor to ceiling, a form of nonviolent resistance against the removal of prisoner privileges. This extreme act of rebellion is meant to degrade the prison authorities and draw attention to their demands. The film shows this grim reality to illustrate the escalating desperation of the prisoners.

Foreshadowing: This sets up the brutal response from prison guards that follows.

• dirty protest
• feces
• cell
• nonviolent resistance
• escalation