BETWEEN LOVE AND LOYALTY… BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH… LIES A CHOICE NO MOTHER SHOULD HAVE TO MAKE.

When famed IRA activist Bobby Sands and several fellow compatriots begin a hunger strike in prison, two mothers (Helen Mirren, Fionnula Flanagan) have to make difficult decisions. The people that brought you In the Name of the Father (1993) bring you more of the same, another look at the unforgiving attitude of the Thatcher era. It produced the well-known hunger strike of 1981 and the filmmakers take a deeper look at two women who view the actions of their sons very differently. Mirren and Flanagan are both worthwhile, but director Terry George’s drama, oddly, isn’t riveting enough.

1996-U.S.-Britain-Ireland. 112 min. Color. Directed by Terry George. Screenplay: Terry George, Jim Sheridan. Music: Bill Whelan. Cast: Helen Mirren (Kathleen Quigley), Fionnula Flanagan (Annie Higgins), Aidan Gillen (Gerard Quigley), David O’Hara, John Lynch, Tim Woodward.

Trivia: Co-produced by Sheridan.

IMDb