Some Mother’s Son (or Sons and Warriors)

‘Some Mother’s Son’ plays out against the backdrop of the Long Kesh hunger strikes of 1981. Helen Mirren stars as the mother of a (fictional) young republican prisoner who shares a cell with Bobby Sands. He joins in the hunger strike in protest at British policies regarding political prisoners, and their treatment in the prison. Mirren’s character is a pacifist and is reluctant to become involved with republican politics. However, she develops a friendship with the mother of another IRA prisoner, who is a passionate republican. Together they must deal with the prospect of their sons’ suffering.

112 min, colour.

A very realistic portrayal of the pressures felt by those close to the Hunger Strikes campaign of 1981.