Release Date: 12/2/2011 (Limited)
Shame, written and directed by Steve McQueen (Hunger), is a haunting character study of a man in New York City who struggles to live with a severe sex addiction. The film is rated NC-17 for its graphic sexuality and I have to give McQueen props because this is the film he wanted on screen, and in this age it’s amazing that he got it released without having to cut anything. It is a technical triumph with McQueen’s visual style bleeding through every frame. It also boasts one of the best acting displays I have witnessed this year in the dazzling performance by Michael Fassbender, who will one day be holding an Oscar. Shame is a hard movie to get out of your mind, but with acting this good and a story so ballsy, it makes for a scintillating movie experience that unfortunately doesn’t come around too often.
Brandon (Michael Fassbender) is a New Yorker who shuns intimacy with women but feeds his desires with a compulsive addiction to sex. The fact that he lives alone and makes a ton of money only fuels his addiction. Everything is suddenly shaken when his rebellious younger sister Sissy (Carey Mulligan), a singer who is fighting with her boyfriend, moves into his apartment stirring memories of their shared painful past. Sissy invades Brandon’s private life and thus sends it spiraling out of control.
Steve McQueen goes from the prison cells of Ireland to the streets of New York City and doesn’t miss a beat in terms of visual style. He brings the camera in close and keeps the takes long. In Hunger he had a 10-minute conversation in one shot, in Shame he has a long tracking shot through the city streets that was extremely impressive. He really is developing himself into an auteur, in every sense of the word. Let’s hope he continues to push the boundaries of cinema while at the same time keeping his fondness for Fassbender, I think I see a tandem that could rival Scorsese-DiCaprio in the near future.
Speaking of Fassbender, what a year this guy has had. Stealing the show in X-Men: First Class, some other solid performances in Jane Eyre and A Dangerous Method, and now with a tour-de-force in Shame. This performance should go down as one of the best of the year and it would be great to see him get a nomination. His face says it all in this; a tortured soul who’s past is never spoken of, but is clearly written all over his expressions. There are several scenes where it’s just him breaking down or staring blankly and it speaks volumes. It’s a masterful performance but one that’s not too over the top. It’s nearly perfect. Carey Mulligan also puts in some decent work as Brandon’s disarranged sister. She also has her problems that you can tell effect her deep down as well as on the surface. There’s a scene where she and her brother talk on the couch that is one of the most powerful of the film.
The NC-17 will be sure to keep many people from seeing the film in theaters. There is full frontal nudity from several actors in this, including the two leads. It also has a few disturbing scenes that had me cringing in my seat, but it all adds to the realistic nature of this disease and shows you how bad sexual addiction can be. I feel like many people don’t believe it’s real. It’s just as real as being an alcoholic or a drug addict, and this movie brings it to all of our attention.
The climax, as it is with Brandon, leaves you numb. It is open-ended and will certainly have a different effect on whatever you take from it. It’s brilliant. Don’t let the rating turn you off, this is a provocative, attractive piece of art that portrays a condition that all audiences need to familiarize themselves with.
Don’t be ashamed to experience Shame.
It’s MADE.
IMDB: 7.9/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 80%
Movie Wiseguys: 8.5/10
