The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines “shame” as: n. 1. a painful sense of having done something wrong, improper, or immodest 2. disgrace, dishonor 3. a cause of feeling shame 4. something to be regretted. Director and co-writer Steve McQueen has the courageous ability to title his films with a single word and define it through a feature film in the most realistic way possible – with Michael Fassbender as the one who portrays the suffering. McQueen and Fassbender had previously made “Hunger,” a film about horrible prison conditions and the starvation as retaliation experienced by an Irish Republican. McQueen’s second film, “Shame” depicts sexual addiction eerily well, making it a raw viewing experience with an NC-17 rating that will leave you with a sense of melancholy.
“Shame” tells the story of a sex addict in New York City, named Brandon Sullivan. While seeming completely normal and reserved, he has a very different private life which is fed with constant exposure to sex and nudity. Which we, as the audience, are too – there is not one form of nudity that is not seen in great quantity in the film. Everything changes, however, when his sister Cissy (Carey Mulligan) arrives and begins to live with him – interrupting the ritualistic private life he had cultivated. The life of a lonely, sad man accompanied by sex with different girls and the sound of pornography. Like last year’s sexually charged “Black Swan,” the film has a story that is about the anguish of a person who is falling apart.
Michael Fassbender gives the greatest performance of his career so far, ending a break out year for the actor that was full of different roles in “Jane Eyre,” “X-Men: First Class,” and “A Dangerous Method.” Carey Mulligan also gives a fantastic performance (especially in the captivating performance of “New York, New York”), as a character that is dishonored throughout the film by Brandon. The haunting score also gives the film a sense of foreboding as Brandon’s suffering beings to appear as something that is really affecting him negatively. Long takes (of dialogue and subway rides) that are typical of McQueen give the feeling that the screen is a window into the private lives of people in New York City, giving the film a realism that is riveting.
“Shame” is the “Last Tango in Paris” of the 21st century and is unlike anything else released this year, even most of the films that were released in the past couple of years. Although the stories are different, they both were sexually explicit films that demand an open mind from the audience with the undesired MPAA rating of NC-17. It is interesting to note, as well, that a theme exists of “actions speak louder than words,” which leaves simple dialogue and well crafted scenes where there is no need for dialogue. The film shows serious skill and potential of all involved and for those who want to try out seeing it, go for it.
