Review: Shame
Sunday, February 26 2012
Steve McQueen’s Shame became unfairly synonymous with full frontal male nudity well ahead of its theatrical release. While the film stars Michael Fassbender as a sex addict, it chronicles addiction; the compulsions crippling the afflicted, and the descent that environs it all.
Steve McQueen’s Shame became unfairly synonymous with full frontal male nudity well ahead of its theatrical release. While the film stars Michael Fassbender as a sex addict, it chronicles addiction; the compulsions crippling the afflicted, and the descent that environs it all.
Brandon (Fassbender) lives a routine life. He is an addict and is constantly looking for his fix. By controlling particular aspects of his life through well-guarded privacy and detailed rituals, Brandon manages to maintain some composure through his affliction. Until wild sister Sissy (Carey Mulligan) emerges and turns order into chaos.
McQueen has made an almost flawless film. From the opening scene, Shame is captivating. Brandon slowly seduces a flirtatious female passenger on the New York City subway. While she is eager, Harry Escott’s brooding score forbodes the self-destruction that will follow
With a screenplay from McQueen and Abi Morgan (The Iron Lady – yeah, I know!), Shame is a landmark in modern filmmaking. Honest and unflinching, Fassbender’s restraint and a wonderfully delinquent Mulligan astound.
Shame is rated R18+ and was released theatrically in Australia on February 9 through Transmission Films.
