From The Archives: Shame
Originally published April 2012.
There is no escaping Michael Fassbender right now. Since his breakthrough appearance in 2007’s 300, the German born Irish actor has been impressing more and more with his diverse role choices and considerable acting talent. Teaming up once again with artist/director Steve McQueen after the critically acclaimed Hunger, Fassbender once again pushes his skills to the limits in the attempt to bring us something that we have not seen before from him.
Shame follows Brandon (Fassbender), a successful young professional working in New York City. Brandon is popular with his co-workers, friends and especially the ladies but unknown to all of them, Brandon hides a sexual addiction that is spiraling out of control. The situation is complicated further when his troubled younger sister Sissy (Carey Mulligan) moves in, forcing Brandon to seek alternative and increasingly outrageous means to obtain his ‘fix’.
Director Steve McQueen very much as he did with Hunger, pulls no punches with his latest effort. Shame is a movie that hides absolutely nothing and this is reinforced by Fassbender’s total commitment to not only the numerous full frontal nudity and graphic sex scenes but also to the psychological effects that an addiction like this could cause. Scenes containing Fassbender’s attempts to repress his urges could be compared to witnessing someone struggling through hard drug withdrawal and this is what makes the film so entrancing in my opinion. Michael Fassbender is, again, simply stunning in this movie and really has gone to shocking lengths to ensure that his portrayal of a character like this is as authentic as possible.
Completing basically what is a two person cast is Carey Mulligan who we last saw in Drive (Click here to read the review). Mulligan is fast becoming the go-to lady for these kind of dramatic roles and her performance here does nothing to damage that claim. Mulligan plays the aforementioned Sissy, a character just as troubled and maybe even more so than her brother. Her scenes with Fassbender are uncomfortable and soaked in tension and it’s clearly obvious very early on that there is an unresolved and undisclosed issue between the two. Mulligan approaches her role with pretty much the same conviction as Fassbender and the chemistry shared between the two, especially in the latter scenes, really cements my opinion that these actors are two of the best European exports we have right now.
From a directors point of view, McQueen hits all the right notes again with striking cinematography and some of the best editing I have seen this year so far. The LONG continuous takes used in the film (which could probably give Alfonso Cuarón a run for his money!) very effectively highlighting various conditions such as depression, sorrow, anxiety and frustration. The quality of the editing is probably best highlighted by the brilliant but disjointed pickup/fight sequence which is both a harrowing and genuinely exciting scene to behold.
Overall, Shame is a no holds barred look into damaged relationships between damaged people. The movie looks into sex addiction and treats it as the problem it really is. The direction is slick and to the point with some wonderfully ambitious shots and editing. The acting is faultless and unforgettable with two totally dedicated performances from the leads. This fearless and challenging film will not be for everyone…and will contain material which will be hard to process, trust me…its taken me almost a week to write this!
Shame is a film that any fan of superior filmmaking will want/need to experience.
Best bit: The pickup/fight/gay club scene is a truly brilliant piece of filmmaking.
Worst bit: Anyone not comfortable watching a film containing full on nudity and sex will almost certainly not be comfortable with a single scene in this.
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