Shame: Review

Shame, the new film from director Steve McQueen, has received a lot of buzz, especially with it being Oscar season. Intrigued by the rave reviews, despite the somewhat daunting topic of sex addiction, I decided to give Shame a try. The praise for Michael (Hunger, X-Men: First Class) Fassbender’s performance as the film’s protagonist Brandon is entirely justified. He exudes equal parts menace, agony and indifference in ways which are entirely believable. Credit must surely go to the McQueen-Fassbender partnership with this being their second film together after the 2008 film Hunger, the film that provided Fassbender’s breakthrough performance as Irish hunger striker Bobby Sands. It must be said, Shame is not a study of sex addiction itself. It is in fact a broader study of addiction and the effects it has on its victims. Brandon is clinical in his seduction and subsequent disposal of any woman around him. However his sterilised and methodical existence, controlled by his urges, is disrupted by the appearance of his sister played by Carey Mulligan (Drive, An Education). Mulligan also excels and provides further evidence of her phenomenal acting talent. As Sissy she yearns for Brandon’s affection only to be constantly spurned. It is such feelings of affection that do not seem compatible with Brandon’s way of life as illustrated by his failure to perform sexually when with someone he in fact knows and has a connection with. His subsequent spiral out of control is affecting as we see a man heading towards self destruction, becoming less and less of a human being, all in search of something he cannot help but want. In addition to the performances, the way the film is shot is also spectacular. McQueen’s visual style fits the film perfectly with Brandon’s apartment, a clean place of straight lines and symmetry being the obvious example. While being set in New York, the location is never the main focus. Filming in the Big Apple in some films seemingly constituts the requirement for aerial shots showcasing the city, but not in Shame. Every shot has the characters as the focus, for instance, Brandon jogging is shown through a long panning shot with him as the unwavering focus, despite whatever is shown in the background, whether it be scaffolding or signature New York billboards. This sums up the film’s strength, as the focus is on the characters and what addiction does to them, as opposed to addiction on its own. While not without flaws, a tendency for scenes to outstay their welcome being one of the main issues for me personally, Shame is nonetheless a fantastic film that will surely be in the headlines come the Baftas and the Oscars.

4/5