Review #392: 'Shame' (2011)

The idea of sexual addiction has, at least up to now, been viewed by most as a pathetic way for celebrities to justify their debauchery and sleazy activities. It has never been given a serious portrayal in film (not that I can remember), but this has not stopped director Steve McQueen tackling the subject in his second feature, after 2008's quite sensational Hunger. He approaches the subject head-on, and rather than trying to investigate what causes the problem, he instead shows it for what it is, personified in Michael Fassbender's emotionally damaged Brandon.

Unknown to the people who claim to know him, Brandon has a seemingly high-paid office job and an ocean-view apartment. This life of emotional distance helps him to indulge in his sexual addiction, where prostitutes, online porn, bar pick-ups, and daytime wanks-at-work provide temporary relief for his ever-growing sexual urges. His life of routine is rudely interrupted with the arrival of his equally damaged sister Sissy (Carey Mulligan), who throws Brandon's life upside down. At first the two seem to get on, but after Sissy sleeps with Brandon's boss David (James Badge Dale), and then catches Brandon masturbating, his once-private affliction is revealed.

Similar to Hunger, Steve McQueen takes a very artistic approach, breaking the film up with long moments of silence and panning shots, and in one bravura sequence, the camera follows a raging Brandon as he jogs through the New York night, as the neon-lit city opens up before him. Yet it's the character development and the truly exceptional lead performance by Fassbender that makes the film, as given that Brandon is really quite an unlikeable character, in Fassbender's hands he is sympathetic and tragic, and McQueen's and Abi Morgan's script make him a fully-realised, and utterly fascinating character.

It would be easy to make Brandon one-dimensional, but as the film goes on, we learn more about him. He fantasises about office colleague Marianne (Nicole Beharie) and the two go out on a dinner date. Brandon talks about his inability to understand or maintain a relationship, which perplexes Marianne, yet the two still seem to hit if off. Later, on a second date, the two are tearing each others clothes off, when Brandon seems to look her meaningfully in the eyes, but he is unable to sustain an erection. He tells her to leave, then in the next scene, and not long after his encounter with Marianne, he is having hard sex with a prostitute up against the window. It is clear that any idea of anything remotely meaningful terrifies Brandon, and therefore turns him off.

Sissy is equally as intriguing, but is given much less screen time. Her encounter with the truly loathsome David reveals that something happened in the past, possibly involving both siblings, yet like Brandon, Sissy reveals nothing. Mulligan has already established herself as an effective actress, but her character serves more as a way to develop Brandon, who is in every scene. The two siblings' backgrounds are not revealed so we are left to guess how to the two have become so damaged, but the film is much more effective this way. It can be a hard watch at times, but Shame is a fascinating exploration of a relatively unexplored subject matter.


Directed by: Steve McQueen
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Carey Mulligan, James Badge Dale, Nicole Beharie
Country: UK

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie