Cast: Michael Fassbender, Carey
Mulligan, James
Badge Dale, Nicole Beharie
Genre: Drama
Released: 9th
February 2012
Director Steve McQueen (not to be
confused with the actor of the same name) &
Michael Fassbender
team up again, this time tackling an often taboo subject of sexual addiction.
Brandon Sullivan
(Fassbender) is a successful New York businessman having the luxury to indulge
in his addiction within his orderly life without it becoming problematic. This
all changes when his bohemian sister Sissy (Mulligan) arrives into life, slowly
throwing his sexual 'routine' into disarray. Swiftly his work and personal life
collide with his addiction, untimely revealing to himself how deep and dark
he's travelled down into this rabbit hole.
McQueen is no stranger to dealing with a difficult subject
matter. As with his previous film
Hunger (which was about the 1981 IRA hunger strike), the
film shows how much trust he and Fassbender have in each other and their wiliness
to push the envelope. McQueen coming from a visual arts background his
takes that particular talent with his films, using the set of New York almost
like another character, the busyness of city life and its dark underbelly not
judging Brandon and his lifestyle. In the scene in the piano bar Sissy works at McQueen
chooses to intentionally focus of the actors' faces so you really get to study
them intimately getting a glimpse into the characters' emotions. During sissy's
act the camera flickers back and forth seeing Sissy pour her heart into the
song and the lack of emotion
Brandon
tries hides until he finally gives into it. In a deliberate move McQueen and
writer
Abi Morgan don’t go into Sissy & Brandon's
childhood which can be seen as fault, but by not elaborating on how they became
the way they are, it forces the audience to focus on the here and now, to not
make excuses for their current behaviour. The most you find out about
Brandon is in the date scene with
Marianne, revealing how he feels about relationships
which may come on how his family life was like in his childhood.
Fassbender's performance could very well be described in one
word as fearless. It being a second time around collaborating with McQueen
shows how much confidence he has in his director's talents to take on a role
such as this.
Brandon at the beginning
is unapologetic in how he lives his life. In one of the scene's at the start
Brandon is travelling on the subway and spots a
pretty girl across from him and at first she is flattered by his staring but
soon becomes uncomfortable with
Brandon's
behaviour turning very predatory and his interest doesn't waver even when he
sees her engagement ring. That primal predatory behaviour is how he approaches
his sexual addiction and at the stem of it is his lack of emotional connection,
and as the film progresses he slowly becomes unravelled and becomes aware of
how much his addiction controls his life and if he can change that. Fassbender
lets you catch glimpses in his looks at the man underneath and manages to let you
see
Brandon in a much more sympathetic
light. Mulligan is superb as the other
side of the emotional scale of
Brandon
as his sister Sissy. Mulligan exudes such vulnerability in Sissy and especially
in the scene's with Fassbender, you see that conflict because of their opposite
emotional circumstances. As Brandon's problem is not having the ability to
enjoy any form of emotional intimacy, Sissy's problem is that she becomes
emotionally attached too quickly to an almost obsessive state such as she
develops when she meets Brandon's boss David (Badge Dale). A highlight of Mulligan's show some raw talent
in singing a Bluesy slowed down version of 'New York New York'. Often seen as a happy hopeful song, it's
turned on its head and viewing it in a close-up of Mulligan's face, she radiates
such vulnerability it draws you in.
Not an easy film to watch at some moments but
moving in the performances of its central characters. Shame highlights a
frequently brushed-over addiction that is seldom talked about with its visual
background doing well to reflect each scene. Fassbender and Mulligan showcase
top-notch performances and illustrate why they are very much sought-after
actors.
4 Stars
