Shame (2011)

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Theatrical Release: December 4, 2011

Blu Ray Release: April 17, 2012

Director Steve McQueen

NC-17

Review by James Klein

"We're not bad people. We just come from a bad place."

There are very few films in recent years that have blown me out of the water. Films that have haunted me, where I can't stop thinking about them. I miss the sensation of seeing a great film where it almost brings tears to my eyes at how compelling or riveting or gut wrenching it can manipulate me into feeling. A film like Shame is the reason why I love films. It also gives me hope that in the world of remakes, Twilight, Jackass, CGI, and found footage movies that a film like Shame can still be made. There is still hope, movie fans! For those mature enough to be able to watch a dark and compelling drama about a controversial subject that is filled with continuous long takes that actually allows actors to act (how dare they!), Shame is your movie. In fact, Shame is a masterpiece.

Michael Fassbender gives the kind of performance that an actor only dreams about. His role of Brandonreminded me of the complicated and troubled characters that Jack Nicholson, (Five Easy Pieces) Harvey Keitel (Fingers) and Ryan Gosling (Blue Valentine) have played in the past. These are characters that are neither good nor bad, men who are trying to find something meaningful in their lives but can't seem to find happiness or what they are searching for. ForBrandon, its his feeling of emptiness. Living in the Big Apple, all alone in a small apartment, Brandon controls his self-loathing and depression with sex. Refusing to get close to anyone,Brandon feeds his addiction with pornography, prostitutes, and masturbation. To control his pain, he must feel some sort of belonging. When he climaxes, this controls it or at least cures his addiction for a small amount of time. But even at work, his hard drive is filled with pornographic websites and during the day he has the need to go to the men's room to masturbate. Much like a drug addict needs to shoot up or an obese person needs to eat,Brandon feeds his addiction any way he can.



Brandon knows that his good looks and great physique can cause most women to want to jump into bed (or in some cases alleyways) with him. He jogs at night, eats healthy and doesn't drink much. He knows that by keeping his body in shape he can feed his addiction with sex. His boss even knows thatBrandonis a chick magnet and gets him to go out at night to pick up women in clubs. While it backfires for the boss,Brandonis able to get off even without trying. While most of us men are probably saying to ourselves, "What's the problem?" we seeBrandoncontinue to drift into depression and that sex is on his mind 24/7 which is causing him to lose focus on everything in life.



One night he is abruptly visited by his estranged younger sister Sissy. Sissy is a time bomb waiting to happen and completely disruptsBrandon's entire life and lifestyle. When an addict has to make change or there is a change in one's life, it throws that person into confusion and disorder that can be traumatic. Sissy also has relationship problems and seems to be following in the same footsteps as her older brother. When Sissy sleeps withBrandon's boss,Brandonis disgusted by this act and focuses his anger solely on Sissy even though his boss is a married man with kids who just wants sex where Sissy seems to be searching for love or someone to take care of her. However, this incident is what causesBrandonto start fighting back his addiction and tries to be "normal" by taking out one of his co-workers on a date which ultimately leads to a disastrous result.



Shame is not for everyone. It is a hard film to recommend because it's not a pleasant film to sit through. There is very little comic relief, many quiet moments and much of the film is shot in long, continuous takes which some viewers may find boring. I happen to love this style and McQueen's subtle direction and hand held camera work is phenomenal. He knows how to tell a story (he also co-wrote) and allows his actors to act. Fassbender can say more with his facial expressions than any long winded speech. His eyes alone should have won a fucking Academy Award. Fassbender's role is not just heart-breaking and sad but also brave and honest. It's very hard to pull off some of these graphic sex scenes without looking silly. Carey Mulligan is also fantastic as Sissy. Mulligan was in another great film this past year, Drive where she played a completely different character than what she plays here. When she sings "New York,New York" at a nightclub while her brother stares at her with a single tear drop from his eye, this moment has more meaning and substance than fiveHollywood blockbusters put together. She's communicating with her brother through song and one must listen to its lyrics as she sings. It may be one of the most beautiful moments in the film.



The blu ray of course looks awesome. Like most new films, everything is shot on digital so the picture of course looks great. Harry Escott's dramatic score pounding through my speakers during some of the dialog scenes was crisp and clear. The special features are lacking and one only gets a few extremely brief featurettes on the making of the film. I would have loved an audio commentary by McQueen, Fassbender and Mulligan. But don't let something minor like this stop you from purchasing this blu ray.



Once again, Shame is not for everyone. It's sexually explicit, dark in tone, and its storyline is unconventional (at least to most moviegoers these days) with a very subtle direction that many may find slow. However, I found the film to be pure cinematic gold and I have no shame in loving this gem.