Shame [DVD]

Recommend

For a film that portrays the existential life of a 30-something sexually-primed yet emotionally repressed man, Steve McQueen manages to extrapolate and convey even the most rawest of feelings to exact degree. Motion pictures have seldom managed to keep me truly engrossed right to the very end and leave me lost for words in the process. A progressive and bleak drama of this kind is a rarity for me to watch, but as soon as the end credits rolled I found myself in stark awe at the gravitas of McQueen's filmmaking while soulless and exhausted at the sheer hopelessness and disparity of Fassbender's performance of Brandon, in which the culmination of it all hit me like a tonne of bricks.All the elements of a solid drama are well-grounded: the cinematography captures plush, elegant interiors of jazzy evening lounges right to the monochromatic, empty vessel of Brandon's apartment which houses only his apathetic skin. Gritty New York back streets and grey skyline views over parkways don't just lie in the backdrop and support environmental context; they bolster character troubles and lifestyles. It prevents the film from being a caricature in itself and plunges us right into the everyday solidarity of Brandon's life.The script is polished and matured, never wasting a single line and providing enough depth for each character; Brandon's employment occupation is irrelevant here to an extent, and McQueen is skilful enough to only deliver snippets of his workplace integrity whilst avoiding complete deviation from the premise at hand. Sissy (Carey Mulligan) is also given plenty of realistic background for us. It structures the choreography to a brilliant, clinical exaction; each dramatic moment embedded in real life troubles precedes and succeeds each other with extremely efficient scene cohesion. Though there are two main characters for this film, all however are merely conduits through which the volatile and unstable foundation of Brandon's life is rocked to a tumultuous climax.The sexuality portrayed aims not to arouse, far from it. The scenes of masturbation are done to discomfort. Orgasm sounds that emanate from Brandon's laptop are haunting. Aggressiveness plagues his face when he climaxes; he seeks only that momentary carnal satisfaction which fills what abyss there is inside him, everything else is null and void. There is nothing to be impressed about in his lifestyle; his skilled ability to naturally pick up women at bars and gain flirtatious looks on subways are merely a facade, for behind those eyes lies coldness, evident from the way he says very little in conversations, gazes without smiling and has sex with very little passion conveyed.The acting is stellar and consistent; Mulligan's performance of Sissy as the wayward, dependant sister who possesses an ability to channel her desolate soul into her incredibly yet poignant version of a New York jazz classic is believable and striking. But the real crown jewel of this motion picture is Fassbender's extremely impressive portrayal of Brandon; from the outset a man verging on the brink of inner self destruction, who wakes up every morning with pensiveness descending his face. Holding it all together, pleasing his sexual desires by indulging in Internet pornography, masturbation and liaisons with multiple paper-thin hearted women, he does not know how to love. Sympathy and affection are alien to him. He questions and scrutinises the ideas of monogamy and shys away from any possible indication of such being presented before retorting back into his shell; his safe haven. This is his life. When his sister arrives it rocks the boat further enough to capsize him into a maelstrom of pessimistic thoughts and emotions of vulnerability and weakness. The bubble he has encased himself in, he cannot escape due to his own thoughts; he has developed a mental stigma only he seems to comprehend while in the process reaffirming in through his repetitive actions. The grey filters which subtly blend in with his similarly-hued scarf seem to provide a comfort, sadly. As if this complex problem is a burden he carries everywhere; it reassures his mental thought processes and shields his heart symbiotically. And it's always there. All of this is made ever more hard hitting and soul-enduring by the film's soundtrack, particularly Harry Escott's piece called Unravelling; a 9-minute long rendition of mundane, modern life regularity of clock-ticking which evolves into a draining and heartbreaking symphony of cello and deep bass that post-crescendo of a sharply piercing melody (akin to that of an obituary to grievance,) returns back to its beginning clockwork rhythm, signifying a cyclical pattern Brandon is caught in, bolstered further by its playback in full at the beginning and at the end of the movie.From melancholic stares at the ceiling in cold winter mornings to cries of desperation on the abandoned, dump-strewn walkways, it didn't just hit my heart and soul, it tore them both out and left them there dying on the floor. And it did it incredibly well. When a movie manages to do just that as intended, it's already there to gaining high-ranking status. Perhaps this is a sombre homage to many other men out there enduring the same experiences.Steve McQueen is deserving of a standing ovation for this incredibly moving masterpiece. This is unquestionably one of the best films I have ever seen, coming from a man who has watched many staple motion pictures spanning genres and cultural statuses far and wide. It's a film I will not forget, nor that I will want to. Every time I watch it now, it will strike a chord as harsh, possibly harsher, than the last one. It's poetically poignant while being graphically harsh. It delivers a message home with sensitivity but with punchiness simultaneously. It's an over-shadowed gem which over time will mature to be an ever-more relevant showcasing of an outward, financial successful man with an inner mentality which is greatly fractured.

this wasnt really what I was expecting , after reading all the cinema reviews I was expecting something more porn , where as this is deeper , darker and an erotic art [ ok I admitt I thought the scenes in the gay club could have been longer and there wasnt really enough of fassbenders body ] but I still loved this film on dvd > really made me think about societies attitude towards sex , what we class as acceptable and then what we dismiss as going too far. Found the photography of new york stunning and the fact that Carey Mulligan could act and sing so well so surprising . Love the way cinema is throwing away the old restrictions about sex and censorship . This is a brilliant movie , dont just compare it to american psycho with out the violence , this is 21st century sexual dynamics . A gem .[ well of I also love Shortbus , Intomacy and Taxi zum klo , so this to me is up there with all the important films about sex]

The write up for the film could of been better. You don't see much and the story line could of been better. Michael Fassbender was good for is part but as for Carey Mulligan her singing was better than her acting.

The first film I saw directed b Steve McQueen was 12 Years a Slave. i saw it in the cinema. It is a big film. Big budget, big production. very big story. I found it totally outstanding, bought the dvd and decided to explore previous films directed by this exceptionally talented director. I decided I could not cope with Hunger as I remembered this desperately sad story when it happened and knew I would not be able to cope with a dramatisation of it. But I bought Shame. Amazon tell me I bought it in 2014. I watched it soon after buying it but could not bring myself to write about it. So I watched it again this afternoon and still find it difficult to write about it. It is about obsession. One man s obsession with sex. There is very little dialogue. We see this rather unbalanced character put himself through a few different experiences and a ghastly relationship with his sister. I have found it draining - yes it is a valid use of film but I did not find it entertaining. Sorry.

This movie stays with me even though I'm trying to get away from it. It is very beautifully shot, I now understand why the amazing leading actor Michale Fassbender calls the director of this movie, Steve, a genious. The film uncovers a very disturbing tendency we have today - what it means to have sex for the sake of the sex only, with no emotional aspect attached to it, and what the price for such sex really is. The loss of intimacy and the ability to love leads to tragic losses of those who are closest to you, and for whom you do have a concern, just fail to show it. Even though all ends not so bad in this film and there is a sense of redemption in the end, it is quite hard to watch and the characters' uneasy and painful experiences haunt you. So beware - this is a truly magnificent film, but not an easy one.

Luckily for me i'm too old for sexual addiction, but some suffer this and not just celebrities. Fassbinder plays a successful man about town in New York who in a sense has it all. but immerses himself in porn and instant gratification in any form becoming lost in a cycle of never ending dissatisfaction and frustration and agony, the effects on his personality are catastrophic and exacerbate his inability to deal with his damaged sibling , played by the excellent Cary Mulligan, who is equally effected to the point of self harm. Clearly there are underlying childhood causes for these conditions which are only hinted at in this film, but you can speculate i think.

I am a passionate Fassbender admirer and this is some of his best acting. I would not say the best, purely because that would be putting all his other spectacular acting abilities in the shade. But I did not buy this solely for Fassbender. I bought it also due to being intrigued by disorders and addictions. To get into the mind of someone else who struggles, and to know how they deal with such discomfort is mesmerizing.