Like McQueen's first film, "The Hunger", Shame pushes the levels of comfort. Only this time, he does it with a heavy dose of nudity. But with the overly graphic sexual nature of this film comes an eerily subtle restraint - thanks to a well-written script by Mr. McQueen and Abi Morgan ("The Iron Lady") - and excellent performances from Mr. Fassbender and Carey Mulligan who plays his loving yet unmistakably damaged sister.
The opening scene already has us captivated as Brandon (Fassbender) stares blankly at the ceiling while lying naked on his expensive sheets. We hear a desperate, needy woman rambling on the answering machine as Brandon walks in the buff, urinates and jerks off in the shower. The scene is repeated over and over creating a monotonous cycle, which later becomes a metaphor for his sex addiction. Needless to say, this is just the beginning of Brandon's vicious self-destruction. Throughout the film, we witness countless sexually deviant behaviors (on the subway, in hotel rooms, out in the parking lot) that seems to control Brandon - even when he wants to stop.
Mr. Fassbender does a wonderful job balancing pain and pleasure during moments of pure ecstasy. You know he hates himself for it, but darn it, he just can't help it. However, all this so-called "fun" is quickly interrupted when Brandon's younger sister, Sissy, shows up unexpectedly. Slowly but surely we begin to realize that this spunky, cute girl is just as unstable as her brother. She's a nightclub singer with no place to go and an ex who wants nothing to do with her. In one scene, Sissy sings a mellow and haunting rendition of "New York, New York". Mr. McQueen beautifully captures an overwhelming sense of sadness by staying very close to her delicate face. Credit also goes to Ms. Mulligan who delivers a strong performance here. Soon after, Sissy's unwelcome stay grows more and more uncomfortable as she and her brother try to rebuild their bizarre relationship.
Mr. McQueen never tells us why these two are so royally f'd up. Instead, we're left to wonder what could've happened to them growing up. And in the end, that makes it all the more disturbing. "Shame" turns out to be a fascinating study in self-destruction and how adrenaline can falsely fill an empty void. No doubt, some might find this movie slow moving. But really, it's just a quiet calm before a messy and uncontrollable storm. It sneaks up on you when you least expect it and before you know it, you're in deep.
Just like an addiction.
| Movie title | Shame |
|---|---|
| Release year | 2011 |
| MPAA Rating | NC-17 |
| Our rating | |
| Summary | Director Steve McQueen is back with another Michael Fassbender collaboration and the two play together like a heated romp in the sack. |
