Shame (2011)

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.

- Read the full review UnRatedFilm.com