Shame reviews 3

teedilla:

I went to see steve mcqueen’s ‘shame’ and was completely blown away. my friend charlotte who accompanied me, was laughed at me, noting at the beginning of the closing credits, that I’d spent the vast majority of the film, with my mouth open, mesmerized by the car crash of an existence, played out on screen.

the main principal, brandon, is a seemingly successful, self-sufficient, new york ex-pat. there are a number of sexually explicit scenes throughout, none of which leave you in much doubt, of exactly how far most of the sexual exchanges were taken. that isn’t what keeps you locked, so completely on fassbender’s performance. it’s his characters insistence on drifting through his constricted life, of compulsive behaviour, seemingly without much call or need to question it. it’s the pain. the pain that slowly, gradually rises to the surface, becoming more apparent with the arrival of brandon’s sister, sissy, played by carey mulligan.

the stark contrast between sissy’s consist need for affirmation, clash with brandon’s emotionally jaded, walled in existence. we’ll not walked through the reasons for how they ended up this way. we’re just given fractured exchanges of love and distain, to paint the complex brother and sister relationship, between fassbender and mulligan. this is wonderfully played out, most affectively through mulligan’s emotionally aloof, playfully tortured rendition of ‘new york, new york’… i may only ever listen to her version of fred ebb’s classic, from this day forth.

i love demonstratively dysfunctional movies, and mcqueen’s direction, adds powerful punctuation, to brandon’s vehemently flawed chosen path. it’s upset, but not surprised, fassbender didn’t receive an official nod for his performance. the subject matter is way too risqué, for the overly conservative, back slapping fest, that is the oscars. for me, he put up one of the most awe inspiring screen renditions of 2011/ 12. this, is the reason i pay to sit in a darkened room. i can’t recommend seeing this film enough.

pinkglassesintherain:
"Shame" Review

So I just saw the movie tonight and after reading some of the opinions online, I think a lot of people misunderstand some things and smaller moments. I think Shame, unlike many other movies, didn’t have any scenes as a filler. Everything served a purpose and everything made sense, at least to me. So this is more or less my interpretation.

With the development of the plot a few things became clear to me. First of all, Brandon and Sissy committed incest at some point in the past. How or why it happened is not made clear, but I guess it is because of difficulties in their childhood, perhaps an abusive parent, which brought them close (even though that is never mentioned or directly implied and yes, I’ll get to the “we come from a bad place” thing in a bit). I also think they were in love with each other and that is where the whole Shame comes from throughout the whole movie. That is why Brandon is a sex addict. I think he developed the addiction after he slept with his sister and realized how wrong that is. She became suicidal for the same reason. Both are ashamed of what they did and both cope with it in their own ways. Brandon cannot have meaningful relationships because as soon as he feels something he is reminded for the feelings for his sister or they contradict with them, hence the scene with the black woman, where I think he could not perform as opposed to what a lot of people think- he had a premature ejaculation. He could not perform because on one hand he was reminded of the feelings towards Sissy and because on the other hand he was “cheating” on her. The only way he could not think of her is by engaging with someone, anyone, who doesn’t men anything. Hence, the gay scene. He was not gay or bi. He just needed someone to make him forget and that happened to be an option at the moment.
Now the conversation they have…when she says “we both come from a bad place, but we are not bad people”. That’s what it implies to me- we love each other, we are wrong to do so, but that does not make us bad. We are who we are. In this moment they face the issue finally. It is interesting if you notice the cartoons playing in the background. It is their childhood opposed to them being adults in front of it and finally starting to deal with it, instead of suppressing it. Referring to childhood, this is also where the abusive parent is implied. She needs someone to take care of her, a real family member and obviously no one has ever done so. That is also why she seems to be immediately so clingy to the men she sleeps with.
Now the “New York, New York” scene…I thought it was superb and absolutely mesmerizing. I noticed that the color theme is a bit brighter and more colorful than the rest of the movie. And why does he cry? He cries because the other people in the room see Sissy as a beautiful and pure woman, whilst he sits there knowing that she is not that pure and knowing that the two of them did unspeakable and ugly things. Her image is forever darkened for him and he can never see her in the way others see her. Nevertheless, he is still in love with her.
So basically, the whole movie, from beginning to end, is the way they cope with the Shame. Everything is shame. Every second, every action is shame. Until the very end…when he realizes the shame will destroy them until they finally stop suppressing it and deal with it. Maybe it will take time. A lot of time. But they finally admit it.

theinsatiables:

Shame makes for a clear contrast to American Psycho, countering that film’s histrionic violence with histrionic sex. Both films, however, are about emotionally vacant men and their disconnection from the people around them, and the chief conceptual difference between them is that Shame’s central character is confronted by a family member who forces him to introspect his compulsive, destructive interest in pornography. In neither film do I fully sympathize with the central misanthrope; rather, as characters I find their behavior, however off-putting, transfixing for their alienness. It’s like going to the zoo only to find the animals more disquieting and perverse than expected.
-Rumsey Taylor

mycinemayear:

35. Shame

Director: Steve McQueen

Starring: Michael Fassbender, Carey Mulligan, James Badge Dale

Year: 2011

Format: 35mm Print, Palace Centro

In New York City, Brandon’s carefully cultivated private life — which allows him to indulge his sexual addiction — is disrupted when his sister Sissy arrives unannounced for an indefinite stay.

NOTE: Firstly, lets get this out of the way: Michael Fassbenders p****. Alright now that is said and done let us move on. The cinematography in this film is beautiful, and the performances are even better. I think its fantastic that the characters drive this film because everything else was a little lack luster and underwhelming.

GRADE: B

kosdetermination:

BLACK HISTORY MONTH MOVIE CHALLENGE!

DAY 13- Best of 2011: Shame

A few months ago some people didn’t agree with my choice to call Shame a black film, but I’m going with fm-in-the-am on this one. Black director/writer= black film. *kanye shrug*

And I know all you Shadow and Act readers are like “but…but what about Pariah?” Look, if you take away all the novelty surrounding that movie, it was just OK. I know y’all uppity black folk get excited when a black indie film comes out that’s not made by a rapper or Tyler Perry and doesn’t suck, but that alone doesn’t make it a masterpiece. So Imma need y’all to calm down.

Anyways… back to Shame.

It’s a real crime the Academy didn’t recognize Michael Fassbender for what was a brilliant performance. And Steve McQueen showcased what I think is the best display of the self-imprisonment that is addiction through this film. It got slammed with an NC-17 rating for its multiple graphic sex-scenes, but I’ve never seen consensual sex on-screen filled with so much sadness. What should have been arousing was depressing. But in a beautiful way.

Honestly, this wasn’t only my favorite black film, but my favorite film of the year period. And it’s a shame (ha…ha…) the Academy didn’t agree.

http://twitchfilm.com/reviews/2012/01/joshua-chaplinsky-adds-to-the-glut-of-top-10-lists.php

SHAME

Yes, Michael Fassbender actually makes being devilishly handsome, having a gigantic c***, and getting laid all the time look like it totally sucks! If that's not acting, I don't know what is. Someone give this man an Oscar, quick. And at least nominate Steve McQueen for Best Director. Dude is a serious talent behind the camera. After this and Hunger, I'll see anything he makes. The acting, the cinematography, the score (*puts fingers to mouth, pantomimes kiss)... MWAH! Magnifique!

unashamedcinephile:

“We’re not bad people. We just come from a bad place.”

There are so many aspects of this movie that I could praise, but it was Steve McQueen’s direction that floored me and ultimately, led to so many of the other positive elements of the film. Unnervingly assured, the camera lingers on every intimate and uncomfortable moment, with entire scenes unfurling in singular takes, through the use of incredibly framed static and tracking shots. With scenes drenched in light through huge bay windows or silhouetted by the neon lights on the streets of New York, the cinematography is beautiful, with the city becoming as much a character as anybody else in the picture.

And it is in part due to these elements, that the performances are so powerful. Whilst he may have been wrongly overlooked for an Oscar nomination, Michael Fassbender’s commanding performance is sure to generate a stir. Truly fearless, he brings incredible depth and humanity to the role of Brandon, who otherwise could have simply appeared as a hedonist in the midst of an ego crisis. Complimenting this, is Carey Mulligan as Brandon’s sister, Sissy, who’s theatrical and charming exterior proves to be a mask that she shares with her brother, albeit one that he carries in much more subtle ways.

Emotionally provocative with unwavering focus and truly naked performances, Shame is compelling, if it at times challenging viewing.

theconwayreport:
Double Fassbender

A few weeks ago, I went on what I affectionately refer to as a “double Fassbender”, that is to say a double feature of Shame and A Dangerous Method, both starring the prolific up-and-comer Micahel Fassbender, at my local independent theatre, Esquire, with a thematically-sound intermission of spirits next door at Sitwell’s Coffee Shop.

This was exciting to me for a couple reasons. To begin with, I’ve never seen a double bill; the concept had always intrigued me but I rarely have the time to set a side for two films back-to-back. Then, of course, you have the talented Mr. Fassbender who first caught my attention in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds and again earlier this year when he took the helm as Magneto in X-Men: First Class. Finally, the thespian link between the two films was enhanced by their thematic content. The same man playing an insatiable sex addict in modern day New York City and the second-most famous sexual psychologist of the Western world in the cinema at the same time? I was so tickled by the serendipitous cleverness of it all that there was no way I could pass on the experience.

Shame came first (I figured I should get the sexual antics and, well, shame out of the way before diving into psycho-analysis). In a lot of ways, director Steve McQueen and Michael Fassbender’s second feature together reminded me of Drive earlier in the year—there’s a brooding protagonist unable to let anyone get close to him in Fassbender’s sex addict Brandon Sullivan and lots of quiet, intense moments set to scores that function as crescendos of emotion.

Coincidentally, or perhaps not, both Drive and Shame star Carey Mulligan as the female interest; in Drive as the damsel in distress, in Shame as Fassbender’s sister, Sissy, in her own kind of distress. She peers at both behind doe-like eyes and barely utters a peep except in a drunken fling with Fassbender’s inept louche of a boss. Sissy’s mere presence infuriates Brandon—she bursts in on him masturbating in the shower, she opens his laptop to a live sex chat page, and her night of passion with his sleazy boss has him huddled in a corner—and she becomes the source of tension behind Brandon’s binge-and-purge appetites for deviancy.

The territory McQueen explores starts to feel obvious, what, with Mulligan walking around in next to nothing, clinging onto her bigger brother; she sees the pieces of the puzzle behind Brandon’s spurn but is unable, or refuses, to assemble them to learn the truth. But Shame takes a sharp turn in an unexpected, albeit previously alluded to, direction that imbues the viewer with a different type of tragic shame and Shakespearean inevitablity than originally imagined.

After decompressing with some Irish coffee during “intermission”, I returned for A Dangerous Method, a tale of professional friendship soured during the sexual exploration in turn of the century Europe. From all the advertisements, David Cronenberg’s latest looked to be a sort of love triangle between Carl Jung (Fassbender), Sigmund Freud (Viggo Mortensen in his third outing with Cronenberg) and the nymphomaniac-cum-psychoanalyst Sabina Spielrein (Keira Knightley) but the focus is more on Jung’s initially gentlemanly struggle to resist Freud’s influence and follow his own research, one made nearly impossible by his fascination and infatution with the physically and analytically daring Spielrein.

Like any worthwhile Cronenberg, A Dangerous Method picks up in medias res, with Knightley kick, screaming, and orgasming all over the place, and it’s not long before the entanglements of Jung’s taxing attachment to Sabina start to pull at the thread of his professional and personal integrity. To go into more detail than that wouldn’t spoil any surprises in A Dangerous Method, it would simply lessen the impact from experiencing what is a thought-provoking and involving narrative.

Following up Shame with A Dangerous Method, with its rationalizations of sexual behavior, served as the perfect counterpoint, where so much desire goes completely unspoken. Ultimately, it brought to light the underlying theme of both films, repression, and how largely negative the consequences were whether indulged or abandoned. Where Shame shows how Brandon hurts the one he loves by both repressing his urges and acting on them, A Dangerous Method shows Jung destroying his friendships, his affair and his marriage, and, in the final moments, his mental health when he does the same. In fact, the way Shame and A Dangerous Method explore sexual repression amplifies each other’s merits so well, I can’t, now, imagine viewing one of these provocative works without the other again.

atthepictures:
Shame



Although Shame is not a film you would probably watch again in a hurry - those of a sensitive disposition look away now- Steve McQueen’s daring and bleak portrayal of a New York sex-addict is an intimate and provocative look at human nature.

Michael Fassbender gives an outstanding performance as Brandon Sullivan, a successful thirty-something executive living in a comfortable Manhattan apartment overlooking the river. Despite the seemingly lacquered exterior of his life, every decision Brandon makes is dictated by an apparently uncontrollable and insatiable need for instantaneous sexual gratification. His life has become a veritable tug of war between maintaining his cool façade publically and indulging his heightened sexual impulses behind closed doors. When we first meet Brandon he has been able to indulge his desires undiscovered – downloading copious amounts of porn, paying for prostitutes and masturbating in the office toilets. But with the arrival of his estranged sister, Sissy, played by Carey Mulligan, Brandon’s addiction becomes exposed in a devastatingly raw portrayal of a man trapped in a viciously salacious cycle.



Every scene in Shame is shot by McQueen with purpose and intent. His voyeuristic camera focuses in on the intimacies and intricacies of Brandon’s addiction, exposing the audience to the lengths he will go to assuage his carnal desires. As to be expected in a film about sex-addiction there are some intensely explicit scenes throughout the film. But these are not meant to excite or titillate, and essentially, Shame is a film about intimacy; or rather, the palpable lack of it in Brandon and Sissy’s lives. McQueen directs our attention to the lack of intimacy through a series of exceptionally long still shots which force to audience to concentrate completely on the characters’ vulnerability. In an exceptional scene, Sissy sings a mournful rendition of ‘New York, New York’ in a suave jazz bar. At a nearby table Brandon sits listening to every heart-rending phrase as a tear rolls silently down his cheek. It is evident that these two troubled souls are destined for self-destruction, and Shame ends right where it started, with temptation staring Brandon seductively in the face.



Shame is not a quaint story with a beginning, middle and end; it is not the biography of how Brandon became a sex addict; nor is it is it the retrospective success story of a man who has overcome his addiction. Rather, it is a snapshot into the life of a man who isn’t quite sure how his seemingly natural desires came to rule his life to the point where intimacy and emotion have given way to isolation and self-loathing. With Fassbender and Mulligan giving such candid performances, and McQueen making such bold moves as a director, Shame is a memorable experience, that is, if you can stomach it.

pinkglassesintherain:
"Shame" Review

So I just saw the movie tonight and after reading some of the opinions online, I think a lot of people misunderstand some things and smaller moments. I think Shame, unlike many other movies, didn’t have any scenes as a filler. Everything served a purpose and everything made sense, at least to me. So this is more or less my interpretation.

With the development of the plot a few things became clear to me. First of all, Brandon and Sissy committed incest at some point in the past. How or why it happened is not made clear, but I guess it is because of difficulties in their childhood, perhaps an abusive parent, which brought them close (even though that is never mentioned or directly implied and yes, I’ll get to the “we come from a bad place” thing in a bit). I also think they were in love with each other and that is where the whole Shame comes from throughout the whole movie. That is why Brandon is a sex addict. I think he developed the addiction after he slept with his sister and realized how wrong that is. She became suicidal for the same reason. Both are ashamed of what they did and both cope with it in their own ways. Brandon cannot have meaningful relationships because as soon as he feels something he is reminded for the feelings for his sister or they contradict with them, hence the scene with the black woman, where I think he could not perform as opposed to what a lot of people think- he had a premature ejaculation. He could not perform because on one hand he was reminded of the feelings towards Sissy and because on the other hand he was “cheating” on her. The only way he could not think of her is by engaging with someone, anyone, who doesn’t men anything. Hence, the gay scene. He was not gay or bi. He just needed someone to make him forget and that happened to be an option at the moment.
Now the conversation they have…when she says “we both come from a bad place, but we are not bad people”. That’s what it implies to me- we love each other, we are wrong to do so, but that does not make us bad. We are who we are. In this moment they face the issue finally. It is interesting if you notice the cartoons playing in the background. It is their childhood opposed to them being adults in front of it and finally starting to deal with it, instead of suppressing it. Referring to childhood, this is also where the abusive parent is implied. She needs someone to take care of her, a real family member and obviously no one has ever done so. That is also why she seems to be immediately so clingy to the men she sleeps with.
Now the “New York, New York” scene…I thought it was superb and absolutely mesmerizing. I noticed that the color theme is a bit brighter and more colorful than the rest of the movie. And why does he cry? He cries because the other people in the room see Sissy as a beautiful and pure woman, whilst he sits there knowing that she is not that pure and knowing that the two of them did unspeakable and ugly things. Her image is forever darkened for him and he can never see her in the way others see her. Nevertheless, he is still in love with her.
So basically, the whole movie, from beginning to end, is the way they cope with the Shame. Everything is shame. Every second, every action is shame. Until the very end…when he realizes the shame will destroy them until they finally stop suppressing it and deal with it. Maybe it will take time. A lot of time. But they finally admit it.

themoviebrat:
Review: Shame

Brandon’s carefully cultivated private life, which allows him to indulge in his sexual addiction, is interrupted when his sister arrives unannounced for an indefinite stay. Shame is a truthful film that deals with an issue that is seemingly “laughed off” in society. It proves that sex addiction is just as much an illness as drug or alcohol addiction. Michael Fassbender’s performance is brilliantly executed with great direction from Steve McQueen. The film does take a while to build its momentum, but once it’s rolling you’re in the thick of it and it’s hard not to get wrapped up in Brandon’s addiction. A thought provoking film.

* * * 1/2

autumnrising:
Shame was . . .

amazing, flawless, profound, and ultimately everlasting.

It honestly struck a huge cord with me, as parts of my past have been almost as messed up as both Brandon and Sissy’s lives. The last thirty minutes of the movie were some of the most intense movie minutes I’ve ever experienced.

Overall, this movie kept me on edge and has led to an evening of constant self-reflection.

Perfect movie. Perfect Cast. I loved everything about it.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Shame and A Dangerous Method

It turned out to be a Michael Fassbender week at the movies with him starring in the lead of both "Shame" and "A Dangerous Method." Not since Roman Polanski's "Bitter Moon" have I felt so embarrassed or intrigued while watching a film.

"Shame," this aptly titled film, was difficult to watch (most of the time); however, I was not disappointed. Brilliantly depicted by Michael Fassbender, Brandon Sullivan is a sex addict with oodles of issues, including a sister, Sissy, played by the wonderful Cary Mulligan who thrusts herself into his very regimented lifestyle of work, prosititution, internet porn, and masturbation. Sullivan is a complex character, fractually part predator, child, and victim. Fassbender is as mesmerizing to the voyeur as is his character. Like a tiger staring down his prey, he lures women into his trap. Even though he pounces on them before they realize why they are there, they are completely willing to be his meal.

Brandon and Sissy are both seductive and broken individuals, so different from one another and yet as the film moves on, so similar. We, as an audience, are never privy to their past which alludes to one that is tragically dark, sad, and perhaps even explicit--one that he can't come to terms with and that she can't escape from. As Sissy says, "I'm not playing the victim. If I left, I would never hear from you again. Don't you think that's sad? Don't you think that's sad? You're my brother."

I found that I was left with many questions at the end which, like many movies of this caliber, is why I enjoyed it so much. Most intriguing to me is that a film so raw and at times so raunchy is really a film of love and compassion no matter how one chooses to demonstrate it....much like life.

Second on the menu is the film "A Dangerous Method" directed by David Cronenberg, known for his films "Crash" and "Naked Lunch." This film stars Michael Fassbender, Keira Knightly, and Viggo Mortensen.

This, too, is a film about sex. It was interesting to see these two films within a couple days of each other. How does a studio hype a movie about sexual perversion in the early 20th century?! Should they describe it or sell it as a costume drama? Should they mention that it is an analytical film on the birth of psycho-analysis, oh, and should they mention there is a love affair? I had you at psycho-analysis, didn't I?

At times extremely intense, this film intriguingly and emotionally allows us the insight to the discussions, beliefs, and the circumstances that caused the split between Carl Jung (Fassbender) and his mentor Sigmund Freud (Mortensen). Although that may sound like a snore-fest, it was not, I assure you. Psycho-analysis has never been so sexy. The two are very convincing as both of the great minds of modern psychiatry and that alone was a joy to watch.

At the center of their discussion is Sabina Spielrein, played fantastically by Keira Knightly. Russian-born Sabina is brought to the hospital that Jung oversees. Hysterical and contorting her body in ways that don't seem humanly possible, she is difficult to watch. This is intentionally well done. There to be treated for mental illness and sexual perversion, she and Jung form a strong friendship that then turns into a love affair. Increasing its interest is the fact that it takes place at the beginning of the 20th century when things such as sex, let alone perversion, are rarely allowed to be discussed. It is a history of accounts and while entertaining, it is academic as well as enlightening.

I have to make mention of the other lesser known "stars" in this film. The set design, costume design, and the cinematography are beautifully captured. Vienna looks supremely beautiful as does the countryside outside Zurich. I thoroughly enjoyed the juxtaposition of the two personalities in both their homes, offices, and beliefs. While Jung's "New Age" hospital is almost depicted as heaven filled with beautiful bright light and lovely gardens, there is a kind of menacing and medicinal stench lurking around in locked quarters. In opposition, there are Freud's dreamlike caves of academia...dark and rich...filled fantastically with multitudes of bottles, spilling bookshelves, and artifacts. The lighting is particularly amazing as it captures the contrast of the darkness of Freud's tobacco-colored world with the white milky nature of the smoke from his always-present cigar.

Whether it's the shame of today or the shame of yesterday, both of these films beautifully translate and capture what it is like to be human in a difficult world. They both remind us we are all just animals filled with love, passion, anger, lust, and multitudes of other flaws... that no matter how hard we try to fix or change them, we cannot escape who we truly are.

Posted by a. r. trantum at 4:38 PM

http://symbioticreviews.com/2012/02/13/shame

Shame

Cast: Michael Fassbender, Carey Mulligan

Director: Steve McQueen

Running Time: 1 hour 41 minutes



by Jericho Cerrona
February 13, 2012

According to Webster’s Dictionary, the word shame is “the painful feeling arising from the consciousness of something dishonorable.” The main character in director Steve McQueen’s bracing new film may be aware of “something dishonorable” as he maintains a lifestyle ruled by an obsessive craving for sex. His name is Brandon, a successful thirty-something living in New York whose existence is predicated on habit, routine, and upholding a carefully calibrated façade. Not much is really revealed about him or what exactly he does for a living; McQueen and co-writer Abi Morgan simply get the idea across that he’s extremely good at his job and more to the point, that he has a magnetic power over women. Brandon is played by the very talented actor Michael Fassbender, who takes on a brave and uncompromising role here as a man caught in the grips of sexual addiction. Without a lot of expository information about what makes Brandon tick, Fassbender reveals complex layers of denial, rage, fastidiousness, and deep-seated torment in a part that could have devolved into theatrics. McQueen matches his star by making brilliant directorial choices throughout that reveal him to be a filmmaker of uncommon intelligence and skill. His excellent 2008 debut Hunger, which also starred Fassbender, was certainly no fluke.

There isn’t much plot in Shame. This is a film that is more interesting not for what happens, but in how it happens. Rather than following a standard three-act structure, McQueen frames Brandon’s daily life as a series of disturbing vignettes in which he has sex with prostitutes, picks up strangers in bars, watches porn, and jerks off. It’s a life controlled by an almost psychotic compulsion for achieving sexual fulfillment, even if that fulfillment contains very little lasting pleasure. He maintains an amicable pleasantness with those around him, particularly his boss (an entertainingly creepy James Badge Dale), with whom he frequents late night bars and clubs. Honestly, the idea of a well-groomed and thriving businessman hiding insidious impulses is nothing new, and there is more than a passing nod here to Christian Bale’s gutsy performance as Patrick Bateman in American Psycho. But whereas Bale was operating on a sardonic level of heightened reality, Fassbender makes Brandon’s inner torment human and undeniably sad. Though his character does terrible things and operates in a vacuum of self-inflicted vanity, there are moments where Fassbender reveals something else going on underneath the cycle of dehumanization, something more complex and heartbreaking. It’s easy to stand outside Patrick Bateman and chuckle at the character’s satirical cartoonishness, it’s quite another to find comparable human qualities in Brandon that are difficult to accept.

The movie might have been unwatchable due to its subject matter had McQueen simply exposed Brandon as a pathetic creep preying on vulnerable women, but though there’s an inherent creepiness to the character, the inclination to condemn him is offset somewhat by the fact that Fassbender is such a charismatic presence. This makes his long-held stares at attractive women on the subway and hypnotic glances at females inside crowded bars more unnerving. Additionally, the fact that the majority of these women so easily fall prey to his charms is equally troubling. The movie’s mood shifts with the sudden arrival of Brandon’s younger sister Sissy (Carey Mulligan), a damaged drifter who hopes to crash at his apartment and reconnect with him, further complicating his rigid daily routine. Mulligan has the showier role, playing a co-dependent young woman with dreams of becoming a famous singer, but her performance gives the audience a much-needed conduit for emotional release. Because Brandon is such an enigma and his actions so self-destructive, Mulligan’s raw and emotionally vulnerable turn gives the film something approaching a soul, but McQueen never allows anything to become sentimental. The odd relationship between Brandon and Sissy is hinted at but never fully explored, and the notion that something truly tragic has occurred in their past remains hovering over all of their moments together.

Shame is rated NC-17 for its graphic depiction of sex and nudity, but nothing here is sensationalized or erotic. The sexual acts depicted are mechanical, a product of Brandon’s insatiable need to feed his addiction. They have a numbing effect that signals an empty void of purely physical pleasure devoid of emotional attachment. McQueen’s methodical approach to this risky material gives the entire film the sense of watching something new and different. His ability to simply allow scenes to play out without cuts could be considered gimmicky, but here it’s often used to reveal character moments. This is most telling in a dinner date between Brandon and one of his coworkers (well played by Nicole Beharie), a woman coming off a recent separation. McQueen shoots the entire date in a single take, and in doing so allows the actors to show a wide range of emotions that just wouldn’t be possible with a more conventionally edited sequence. Equally effective is a scene where Mulligan sings a slowed down version of ‘New York, New York’ inside a nightclub. With McQueen fixing his camera in a series of long uninterrupted shots upon Fassbender and Mulligan’s face, the sequence plays out as an audacious test of patience for audiences accustomed to more traditional coverage, but in doing so creates a powerfully lasting impact. Also memorable is an audacious single-take tracking shot following Brandon as he goes for a late night jog through the streets of New York City, which many will dismiss as self-congratulatory, but in actuality it allows the audience to feel the characters restlessness in that exact moment. Had this sequence taken place earlier in the film, it would no doubt play as showy, but here McQueen uses it as a way of expressing Brandon’s urgent need for release.

Even though Shame is about a man grabbling with sexual addiction, it could have been about any sort of addiction, and is therefore more of a dissection of a particular malady than a definitive character study. Yes, Fassbender gives Brandon a vitally human quality, but he’s essentially a construct in order to show how the addiction can render one soulless and detached. The aim here is similar to Darren Arronosky’s frenetic drug-trip Requiem For A Dream, which chronicled the crippling physical, emotional, and spiritual effects of heroin, but unlike that film, McQueen doesn’t have the rush of rapid-fire editing and Clint Mansell’s hypnotic score to carry the day. Consequently, Shame probably won’t be embraced as openly as Requiem For A Dream since there is something even more unnerving and less acceptable about this sort of addiction. People don’t want to talk about it. They don’t want to believe it exists. But it does, and McQueen, Fassbender, and Mulligan stare into the void of human darkness without flinching. Shame is a great film that constitutes what can safely be termed a “one-timer”; meaning it’s a movie that can greatly be admired for its directorial skill and acting, but which is an experience so grueling that it won’t likely be revisted.

freedchristian:
Shame.

I watched the latest Steve McQueen film this week. Shame. It was definitely an interesting movie. It tells the story of a man trapped in sexual addiction, and the subsequent ramifications of his bondage to his lusts.

And it’s an absolutely tragic film. When I first started watching, I couldn’t help but focus on the sexual acts that were occurring. Not even in a lustful way, but the very presence of such explicit sex scenes in the cinema created a situation of abnormal, and almost ghastly, interest.

I watched as Michael Fassbender’s character lept from sexual liaison to sexual liaison. And then it was as if somebody had punched me in the gut. And I realised that what I was watching was a man, so hurt by his past, that the only way he knew to cope was to hurt others. Hurt people hurting people, as they say. And if I could cry I would have.

I would have cried as he sat naked on his sister’s chest screaming. I would have cried as he screwed a woman in front of strangers. I would have cried as he walked, blinded, into a gay sex club.

There wasn’t anything erotic about the movie. Just a shame for what had happened to his childhood. A shame that he continued that cycle. A shame that he tried to hide from all the pain, through sexual encounter.

I guess I’ve felt like a sex addict before. So I understood his character. I’ve screamed his screams of freedom. I’ve known his imprisonment. I’ve been blinded by the lusts of the world. I’ve been lost in the grip of addiction. And it’s all a shame. A shame for a way that was lived. A shame for a time that was lost. A shame that lingers.

http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/entertainment/a/-/movies/12914103/star-takes-shame-s-dark-journey-to-fame/

Star takes Shame's dark journey to fame
HELEN BARLOW, The West Australian February 15, 2012, 10:27 am

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Star takes Shame s dark journey to fame

Michael Fassbender. Picture: Supplied.

Despite his lack of prizes in the current awards season, few actors are sitting prettier in every sense of the word than Michael Fassbender.

Having made six highly respected films in 20 months and with Ridley Scott's Prometheus in the can, the 34-year old is being hailed as a rare talent.

The Hollywood Reporter recalls one studio chief saying: "In our world, the real deal doesn't come along very often."

There's no doubting Fassbender can do it all. For the moment though the actor's nudity-drenched portrayal of a sex addict in Shame is all we can hear about.

George Clooney may even be a tad jealous given the comments he made at this year's Golden Globes: "Really, Michael, honestly, you can play golf like this with your hands behind your back. Go for it, man, do it!"

Even so, Fassbender's follow-up film with his Hunger director, Steve McQueen, is hardly sexy.

In fact, Shame is a dark exploration of the human psyche. His Brandon character may be charming and hold down a good job in corporate Manhattan, but his mind is consumed by women as prey, while on his computer he has all manner of pornography.

"Brandon's lifestyle means that he goes out and sleeps with many people," Fassbender explains. "He's quite successful at it but he's not really getting anything out of it. It's a joyless act and he realises that he's ill. He's definitely trying to fight it."

When Fassbender started the project he knew what he was in for.

"I said to Steve 'Look, do whatever you have to do'. I trust him implicitly and I didn't want my insecurity to come into it. You just have to give yourself up and say 'OK, let's do this and get on with it'. I know that any subject matter that he deals with is going to be handled in the right way."

Still it might seem a bit much for a former altar boy, who was raised a Catholic by his German-born father and Northern Irish mother. What did they think of it?

"Well, they are pretty cool. My dad was there at the Venice premiere. It was the first time I saw the film as well, which could have been a mistake," he chuckles.

"My mother was going to come, funnily enough, but she couldn't make it in the end. That might have been a good thing. I told my dad there was going to be some pretty extreme stuff and to prepare himself. But he said 'Look, you are an artist and you have got to do your thing'.

"I enjoyed being honest with myself making the film and exploring those things that society has deemed to be shameful. I don't have the answers to a lot of the moral questions but it's important to pose them."

In David Cronenberg's upcoming A Dangerous Method, Fassbender plays Carl Jung alongside Viggo Mortensen's Sigmund Freud. What would Jung have thought about Brandon?

"Maybe he would take a look at the sort of society that Brandon inhabits because Shame is very much a film of our time, about our access to excess

"The way Steve puts it, we are living in an age where we are all communicating through technology but are still somehow disconnected."
Shame is now screening. A Dangerous Mind open March 29.

artisansknight:

Steve McQueen’s - Shame

The cruel paradox of addiction is that it transforms a source of pleasure into an inescapable, insatiable need. An abundance — an overdose — of movies and books explores the logic of this condition, mostly with respect to drugs or alcohol. “Shame,” the relentless new feature from the British artist turned filmmaker Steve McQueen, has a lot in common with films that plumb the toxic romance of the bottle or the needle. The crucial difference is that its protagonist, a handsome, youngish Manhattanite named Brandon (Michael Fassbender), is hooked on sex.

- A. O. SCOTT (New York Times)

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Just finished watching this. It’s a good film, and worth 90 minutes of your time. Aside from the awesome Manhattan based Cinematics, The story will really keep you glued to the screen. I never really knew what would happen next. Captivating, Hypnotic, blah , blah , blah. It honestly IS Shakespeare’s ‘Sonnet 129’ in modern form. Give it a shot!

-Artisan

onemanswords:

So I watched Shame over the weekend, and it’s basically been impossible to get it out of my head. Just a brilliant film all around, filled with blisteringly honest and remarkable performances from Michael “Big Fassy” Fassbender and Carey Mulligan.

If you’re up for one of those heartbreaking-to-the-point-of-nausea films, then you should probably give it a shot. Otherwise, you can watch this disarming clip of Carey Mulligan singing “New York, New York,” easily the only part of the movie suitable to post on Tumblr. Full, five-minute version (audio only) can be found here.

hollymotheroadofmovies:
Shame (Feel It)

My opinion for all that snubbing ‘Shame’ has been through has already been expressed by many journalists around the world, far more experienced and better informed. Sorry, to all the conservative people out there but in the film situation one’s got the chance to see and judge for himself. Not everyone shares the same perspectives, so trust yours for this film, if you choose to see it. In my humble opinion, it deserves every single award it’s won. It’s never too late to try and welcome something new!

‘Shame’ happens to be one of the best films i’ve watched this year. I’ve seen ‘Hunger’ and I like Steve McQueen’s perspective. I find it original, artistic, daring, different. I’ve also followed most of Michael Fassbender’s filmography. He is a brilliant actor. In this case he’s McQueen’s muse (Abi Morgan’s as well). ‘Shame’ seems to have been made just for him.

Brandon is a character that fits pretty well on Fassbender’s acting abilities. He’s an accomplished business man, living in a modern apartment in New York, enjoying the respect and company of his colleagues but has a secret addiction. Sex. Whenever an action becomes an addiction, destruction is the next step. That’s where Sissy, his sister, appears. Besides the disruption of his ‘normal’ life she brings up some more issues that make both of their lives even more uncomfortable. Carey Mulligan is absolutely great in this supporting role and has revealed an also beautiful voice talent, which you might have already realized from the official trailer.The story moves smooth, unveiling the character’s traits and flaws and also makes some nice setback play towards the end, in a dramatical way. Paying you, really, off in the end!

There was all this fuss about nudity and sexual intercourse that never in this film became disturbing. Not at all. It depicted the life of the protagonist but never stamped him. You get to see the edgy point of addiction and you can put it beside any other kind of addiction there is. The dialogues are small and every-day-life awkward, smart, witty, surprisingly brave and strong. Once again, Steve McQueen manages to show emotions and pass it to the audience. The nods, the looks, body language, you just know. No need to explain.

Even though it’s a UK funded movie, it was filmed in New York, after a wonderful scene/location selection. From the modern appartment, with the industrial view, to the streets and nightlife of the city. You get the chance to live there for a while. Besides Frank Sinatra’s ‘New York, New York’ song, Harry Escott composed some beautiful pieces for this film, while various artists appear in the musical background like Blondie, Chet Baker and Howlin’ Wolf.

I’d suggest it to every adult mind.

Eva.

ustcallmesun:
movies i saw: shame

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we are not bad people, we just come from a bad place

Shame, starring Michael Fassbender (major crushing right now) and Carey Mulligan, directed by Steve McQueen, is the most provocative and interesting film I’ve seen so far in 2012.

What’s it about? IF you are uncomfortable with sexuality in movies, this is one to avoid (if you didn’t know that already). Shame centers around Brandon, a middle aged man with a sex addiction and how his addiction both affects and is affected by his relationship with his sister, Sissy. There’s a lot of drinking. There’s a lot of swearing. There’s a whole lot of sex.

The people: What I find most amazing is no matter how short Steve McQueen’s directorial career may be so far, he was so uninhibited and daring in the making of this movie. He goes beyond what many fear to do. He combines the deepest depths of human sorrow and self-loathing with raw sexuality and a probing into the concept of love. It’s also clear why McQueen favors Fassbender for his films, he is amazing. This is a completely brave performance and he executed it perfectly. Not one moment did it feel forced or superficial. Every nuance, every look, every intonation felt very real. So real, in fact, that it made me kind of uncomfortable at times. I love it when movies do that. Probe into the viewer’s feelings and create emotion rather than simply purveying it. Fassbender’s chemistry with Mulligan was also one of the strongest points of this film, as was Mulligan herself. The entire movie draws on parallels between Brandon and Sissy to fully encompass all of Brandon’s feelings of self-loathing and disappointment and loneliness. The two fit like a glove together and combined, gave one of the most stirring at compelling relationship I’ve seen portrayed on film in a while.

Extras: The set design contributed perfectly to the feeling of the entire movie, but I find it was the music that really set the mood for me. As soon as the movie starts, you hear a somewhat eerie, haunting melody that reappears throughout the film. Other times, you hear classical music weaving through the story, providing a juxtaposition with Brandon’s anger and frustration. Perfect.

Favorite Scene: Although so many scenes in this movie are memorable, my favorite would have to be when Brandon and David are watching Sissy perform, and Brandon lets out a few tears. There’s so much in that one scene. For a good 5 minutes, you get nothing but Mulligan’s voice, and in the few seconds of silence between verses, there’s this complete silence which lends a feeling of slight dread and tension, but also the weirdest feeling of comfort. And Brandon shedding tears watching his sister just encompasses their entire relationship. How he doesn’t want her to end up like him. How he feels like he’d be a disappointment if she ever knew what he was. How he knows that not even his own sister can help him fight his urges.

If you are into daring movies, this film is a must watch. If you are only seeing it because you heard about Michael Fassbender’s p****, then I hope that when the movie ends, you take something away from it other than ‘that was a weird movie why did Fassbender wank so much?’. Appreciate this movie for what it is, because it is one of the most memorable I’ve seen in a long time.

mothlightmagazine:

After a year on here I still don’t know how to reply properly but here’s a quick response to FOOLPROOF COFFIN about why I enjoyed Shame so much.

Firstly, it was great to see Fassbender not only return to McQueen’s direction but also to deviate away from some of the most unproductive and bore-inducing films of 2011 (see X-Men/Jayne Eyre). Though I must concede, because having reminded myself of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy last night, I found it wholly deserving of Outstanding British Film.

Shame to me was heartbreaking, because what we were presented with is not a man whose shame comes from his sex addiction but instead from the point that people seemed to miss about the film that was in his obvious non-familial relationship with his sister. Her begs of asking him to ‘come over to the dark side’, the side that he has successfully removed himself for so long (arguably, as he seems to have replaced one dark side for another) is really the only piece of dialogue that provides us with this information. The rest has to rely on their own psychological manifestations with regards to their own bodies. One represents introverted self harm and the other extroverted. It is this make up of the film that really draws my love to it.

The film is one of the few that can incorporate so much graphic sex and make it as disturbing as, say, the rape scene in Tyrannosaur (another terrifyingly good British film of 2011) instead of base titillation. Nobody leaves Shame feeling that what they saw was pornographic, and if they did then they didn’t understand it. With every woman that he seduces, he loses a part of himself. The only woman that he truly wants to make love with, he can’t perform around. And THAT scene on the train, towards the end, has you breathless.

All in all, I thought it was brilliant. In my Top 5 of 2011. McQueen also manages get Bach in there, which can never be complained about. Also, notice that even when he runs through the streets of New York, you can feel his stasis. There is no relief, and that’s what I fell in love with about the film, it’s inescapable claustrophobia.

mavininsesi:
SHAME

Film Ekimi’nde izleme fırsatı bulduğum Shame günlerdir kafamın içinde dönüp duruyor. Steve Mcqueen ve Fassbender ikilisiyle Hunger filminde tanışmış sonrasında vazgeçemez olmuştum. Shame, seks bağımlısı bir adamın hikayesini taşıyor bize. Fassbender yine fiziksel ve ruhsal olarak muhteşem hazırlanmış bu role.Güzel manzaralı evi, yakışıklı fiziği ve başarılı kariyeriyle herkesi için özenilecek bir karakter olmuş Brandon.Dışarıdan bakıldığında bir terslik yokmuş gibi duruyor. Ama Brandon’ı tanıdıkça onun yatak odası sırlarını keşfettikçe sizde onunla acı çekmeye başlıyorsunuz. Tüketim toplumunun doyumsuz, tatminsiz yarattığı kişilerden biri sadece Brandon , üstüne ”kötülüğün içinden geldiğini”de eklersek sadece yaşamaya çalışıyor. Kardeşinin eve gelmesi bir süre kalmasıyla bu yaşadığı durum üzerine kendiyle hesaplaşmaya başlıyor. Geçmişlerinde ne yaşanmışsa bu kardeşlerin arasında Sissy, Brandon’ı her anlamda kışkırtıyor. Bu kışkırtma sonucu Brandon için farkındalık devreye giriyor ve utanç duymaya başlıyor. Ama Mcqueen hikayeyi öyle güzel yerlere taşıyor ki, utanç duyması gereken Brandon’mı demeye kadar vardırtıyor sizi. Shame, Hunger gibi raftaki vazgeçilmez filmlerimin arasına girdi.

Kaçırmayın.

maciste:
Shame, la sceneggiatura



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Finalmente è online la sceneggiatura di Shame e per i fan di Steve McQueen le sorprese non sono poche.
Spesso non ci rendiamo conto di quanto lavoro sta dietro a un film e di come ogni singolo dettaglio sia in realtà il frutto di scelte difficili e meditate. In un film nulla è lasciato al caso e la lettura di una sceneggiatura originale ci permette di scoprire cose che altrimenti non scopriremmo mai.

Per esempio, la lunga intro del film sulla sceneggiatura viene indicata con il titolo Violini. Le didascalie sono queste: Lenzuola spiegazzate [violini], veneziane [violini, crescendo], pene [violini, fortissimo], un uomo gira per casa, tirando sciacquoni e aprendo rubinetti [violini, fortissimo, musica come acqua], pene [glissando sospeso], inizio messaggio segreteria telefonica [pianissimo], fine del messaggio [fortissimo taaaaaaaaaan ta-ta taaaaaaaaan]. Pene [gran finale].

Una serie di cancellature in corrispondenza della scena di jogging notturno, fa intuire quanta importanza ha la scena di lui che aspetta saltellando che il semaforo diventi verde: Semaforo rotto, semaforo intatto, semaforo rotto [Quel semaforo è la sua condizione, nota di SMcQ], semaforo intatto [Nessuno nota il semaforo, nota di Abi Morgan], semaforo rotto [Questo è un film per gente che vive di sottotesti, e la gente che vive di sottotesti lo noterà, semaforo come simbolo di ordine, ordine che viene rotto dal logorio del tempo, nota di SMcQ], semaforo intatto [La vita continua, nonostante la tragedia della vita, nota di SMcQ], semaforo rotto [Fornitura gratuita, ditta Jameson & sons, chiamare nel pomeriggio, nota di SMcQ, , nota di Abi Morgan].

Si sa, i dialoghi sono sempre difficili ed è interessante come SMcQ e Morgan lavorano sui dialoghi di Shame: Per esempio lei dice: «Ti piace lo zucchero?»; Lui: «Sì, perché è dolce» [Banale!, Abi Morgan. Vero proprio perché banale, come la vita!, SMcQ. Lo zucchero sarebbe il sesso, vero?, Abi Morgan. Sostanzialmente sì, SMcQ. Perché non dice «Ehi, ti piace la figa?» oppure «Figa?» o anche «Figa qui?», Abi Morgan. Non male, ma sono al lavoro, bisogna essere più sottili, e in ogni caso il problema è quello che risponde lui, SMcQ. Già, cosa risponde lui?, Abi Morgan. Eh, è dura, SMcQ. Sguardo vacuo?, Abi Morgan. Sguardo vacuo, ok, SMcQ. Sguardo vacuo prolungato, Abi Morgan. Sguardo vacuo prolungato e violini, SMcQ. Sguardo vacuo prolungato e musichina accennata tipo gniiiiiiiiiin, sottile, come il dubbio che si insinua, Abi Morgan. A volte sei un genio, SMcQ].

veriel:
Shame

Desperately depravity of addiction is explored in depth in art house film. Micheal fassbender is outstanding in is compulsive story. He plays a porn and prostate addict who has is routine interrupted by the un announced arrival of his sister. Steve McQueen’s directing is waht made the movie for. Every about the camera angle ect was perfect. ****

endorwitch:
Saw Shame finally....
okies. Not really a review. Just some thoughts. None of the sex scenes were particularly sexy. Apart from the scene with Marianne, they just looked like what they were - an addict getting his fix.

When Sissy shows up unexpectedly. Ok i know they have things from their past that make them act the way they do now…i could understand all of it EXCEPT when he bashes into the bathroom thinking its a burglar and its just sissy have a shower and they stand there yelling at each other and all she does when he throws her a towel is dry her face… WHAT??? NO!!
stand nekkid in front of my bro or sis (or my parents even)??? HELL NO!!!!!!1

The bit where Sissy crawls into Brandons bed coz she is cold and he tells her to get out. then yells at her…..normal behaviour sure….but he had said SO little till that point in the film it was kinda shocking.

the scene that had all the gifs made from it. yeah between sissys phone call at the start and brandons face at the end. killed me.
michael - f#%@#&! hell - your face man. when you do emotions. jesus f#%@#&! christ.
you and mcavoy should do more films together where you both just emote all over the f#%@#&! place…they wouldnt know WHO to give the academy award to!

I am kind of disappointed they didnt have the scenes that were in teh script i read at the start and beginning he is in some therapy group trying to work on his probs…but i guess its kind of cool - it leaves it totally open ended so you can think and wonder what will happen to brandon and sissy.

only thanks to michael and his superb acting did i connect and feel in anyway for brandon. usually the scenes with sissy got to me the most. i really connected with her. carey is amazing. has she played any other roles as full on as that?