''Hunger'' is a

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

film written and directed by Maria Giese, based upon the

1890 Events January * January 1 – The Kingdom of Italy establishes Eritrea as its colony in the Horn of Africa. * January 2 – Alice Sanger becomes the first female staffer in the White House. * January 11 – 1890 British Ultimatum: The Uni ...

novel of the same title by Norwegian author

Knut Hamsun Knut Hamsun (4 August 1859 – 19 February 1952) was a Norwegian writer who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1920 Nobel Prize in Literature, 1920. Hamsun's work spans more than 70 years and shows variation with regard to conscio ...

. Shot in

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

on a shoestring budget, it features Joseph Culp as well as his father

Robert Culp Robert Martin Culp (August 16, 1930 – March 24, 2010) was an American actor and screenwriter widely known for his work in television. Culp earned an international reputation for his role as Kelly Robinson on ''I Spy (1965 TV series), I Spy'' ( ...

in a supporting role. The score was composed by Kazimir Boyle and Trevor Morris, who went on to compose music for ''

The Tudors ''The Tudors'' is a historical fiction television series set primarily in 16th-century England, created and written by Michael Hirst and produced for the American premium cable television channel Showtime. The series was a collaboration among ...

'' and ''

Vikings Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...

''.

Premise

A sensitive writer from a small town faces

spiritual crisis Spiritual crisis (also called "spiritual emergency") is a form of identity crisis where an individual experiences drastic changes to their meaning system (i.e., their unique purposes, goals, values, attitude and beliefs, identity, and focus) typi ...

as he tries to make it as a Hollywood

screenwriter A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...

. Charlie Pontus wanders around

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

torn between his efforts to sell a

screenplay A screenplay, or script, is a written work produced for a film, television show (also known as a '' teleplay''), or video game by screenwriters (cf. ''stage play''). Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of w ...

and find his next meal. His natural optimism keeps him afloat as he walks the

tightrope Tightrope walking, also called funambulism, is the skill of walking along a thin wire or rope. It has a long tradition in various countries and is commonly associated with the circus. Other skills similar to tightrope walking include slack rope ...

between his love for the beautiful, exotic Ylayali and his desperate connection to The Chief, the Hollywood producer who has the power to give life or take it away. Stubbornly refusing to relinquish his principles, he sinks deeper and deeper into spiritual crisis, finally confronting God in a Jobian showdown. Ultimately, the story illustrates the difficult balance between artistic integrity and the commercial necessities of Hollywood.

Cast

* Joseph Culp as Charlie Pontus *

as The Chief *

Kathleen Luong Kathleen Luong (November 13, 1974 – October 28, 2020) was a Vietnamese American actress and model. She is usually credited as Katie Luong. Luong was born in Saigon, South Vietnam. In 1979 her family left Vietnam, and sailed to Malaysia. They i ...

as Ylayali * Daniel Franklin as "Eclair" * Casper Andreas as "Scissors" * James Quill as "The Duke" * Bruce Solomon as Mr. Christie * Frank Bruynbroek as Spy Man #1 * Jason Berlin as Spy Man #2 * Susan Rich as Sexy Woman * Nicole Ozment as Hostess

References

External links

* * * 2001 films 2001 drama films Films based on works by Knut Hamsun Films based on Norwegian novels Films scored by Trevor Morris (musician) American drama films 2000s American films 2000s English-language films {{2000s-drama-film-stub