(Steve McQueen, UK/Ireland 2008, 96 min.)

Renowned visual artist Steve McQueen’s first feature chronicles the final six weeks in the life of Bobby Sands, the Irish prisoner who underwent a devastating hunger strike in 1981 to protest the repression of the British government. McQueen’s future as a major filmmaker is assured with this stunning debut, which is visually precise and exciting and never obvious or didactic in its presentation of complex themes.