Shame
2011 Directed by Steve McQueen
Synopsis
In New York City, Brandon's carefully cultivated private life -- which allows him to indulge his sexual addiction -- is disrupted when his sister Cissy arrives unannounced for an indefinite stay.
Cast
Popular reviews
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Shame is a cold look at the impact of addiction on a person's life. The film is beautifully shot and masterfully edited. The colour palate of winter New York really adds to the cool feeling.
While some may find this film to be shallow and unfeeling, I believe that is how you are supposed to feel. Addiction takes over peoples lives and leaves them hollow, without any purpose except getting the next fix and easing the pain.
Absolutely astounding acting by both Fassbender and Mulligan.
Be aware that there is full frontal nudity (both genders) and numerous sex scenes, so you might not want to see it with your mum.
A full review can be found at An Online Universe
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Fassbender puts on an acting clinic. He's unreal in this.
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'We're not bad people, we just come from a bad place...'
That line is as close as this movie comes to providing context for Michael Fassbender's sex addict Brandon and his depressed sister, which is nothing you wouldn't have guessed. The film depicts Brandon's depravity graphically and effectively, and is utterly focussed on its theme, but despite the great performances and excellent storytelling, the lack of context or sense of character development prevents it from being as satisfying a watch as it might have been.
Observations:
- Sound is used very, very well in this movie.
- Elizabeth Masucci made an impression with very little screentime.
- 'That Guy' is Chase from 24.See Also:
Hunger. Other than that I realize I've basically seen nothing I'd compare this with. Time to watch some movies about drugs and The Girlfriend Experience.
Recent reviews
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Shame is a mature, provocative film about sex that confronts desires seldom admitted in American cinema....
My full review for Total Film: www.totalfilm.com/reviews/blu-ray/shame-2011-1
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An exquisitely tedious non-drama about one man's sad battle to empty his expense account using only his penis. Less explicit than you've heard, but as floridly melodramatic as any 50s b-movie, this is often unintentionally very funny. The scene in which Michael Fassbender throws out A Big Box Of Dildos because he just can't stand himself anymore will stay with me till my dying day: it may still raise a chuckle on my very last breath.
Fassbender and Carey Mulligan give fine, committed performances as brother and sister screw-ups, but as much as their characters are trapped in a cycle of compulsion and repetition, the film shows us nothing they might escape towards. Indeed, the one occasion Fassbender seems to...
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A wonderfully acted and beautifully shot, tragic portrayal of addiction. Fassbender is astonishing in a film that was sorely snubbed at Oscars this year.
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Absolutely beautiful film with perfect performances from Fassbender and Mulligan. Stylishly constructed and with an uncompromising sense of emotional power, its another fantastic film from the highly talented Steve McQueen, who can only get better. It's a damn 'shame' that it didn't a BAFTA or nomination at the Oscars. My personal favourite of 2012, so far.
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Fassbender's acting moved me. Shot with a precise coldness, stayed in my mind for days. Beautiful score.
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I am curious to see what Steve McQueen's next film will be? McQueen's films teach us something about the human condition without ever being pedantic. In Hunger he isn't interested in doing a surface level hero-bio of Bobby Sands, instead it examines the effect of the hunger strike on guards and prisoners alike.
In Shame McQueen pulls no punches, and while the film was slapped with an NC-17 it does not pander or titillate. It has a lot more on it's mind than that. Instead the more sex he has, the more exotic it's flavor, the more joylessness the enterprise is revealed to be. His sister (Carey Mulligan) is as screwed up as he is in her own way, and...
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Fassbender is Super
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Beautiful cinematography, freaky storyline, great acting. Overall a perfect drama. Spice up your film watching with this one.
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Could've been better, but it dips in the middle and never quite recovers. Still, a really really strong film. Everything that has been said about Fassbender's performance is thoroughly deserved.