Set against the backdrop of the 1981 hunger strikes in Belfast, Terry George's award-winning drama film tells the story of two mothers, Kathleen Quigley (Helen Mirren) and Annie Higgins (Fionnula Flanagan) who must stand by and watch as their son's refuse food in Long Kesh prison. George (The Boxer, Hotel Rwanda) evokes the time and place of the hunger strikesówhich saw the death of Bobby Sands and nine other Republican prisonersówith harrowing accuracy. But his main concern lies with the dilemma faced by the prisoners' mothers-whether or not to respect their sons' decisions, or sign an order for force feeding. Mirren and Flanagan are captivating as the film's leadsóthe force and clarity of their emotions humanize a struggle made abstract by politics. Written by Terry George with Jim Sheridan.