Shame
Review by Anthony Morris
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Shame
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New Yorker Brandon Sullivan (Michael Fassbender) doesn’t exactly enjoy sex. In
fact it seems like something of a chore judging by his constantly grim
facial expression, but that doesn’t stop him from going at it every
single chance he gets. Sex by himself, sex using porn, sex
he pays for, sex with women he picks up; there’s not a moment in his
day where he’s not reaching out for something or someone. So
the arrival of his clingy sister, night club singer Sissy (Carey
Mulligan) might crack open his shell - or might drive him even deeper
into his personal hell. Artist turned director Steve
McQueen (Hunger) has made a tale of addiction that works well as an
individual portrait but is too interested in creating a chilly,
disapproving mood to expand it into something universal. Fassbender
does a brilliant job of conveying the anguish and compulsion that
drives a sex addict, but his movie-star looks and McQueen’s eye for
cold beauty drains the passion from what should either be a gruelling
tale or a farce (remember Alvin Purple?). He's a sex addict
but (presumably) thanks to his looks and charm this is mostly an
internal problem for him that rarely bleeds into his day-to-day life:
at work his massive porn stash on his hard drive is assumed to belong
to an intern, while sexy women throw themselves at him in bars and on
the subway. It is a spiral downwards and there’s no doubt
that he’s got a problem, but the film constantly keeps us at a
distance, never letting us feel the drive that must be motivating
him. Brandon's sex life might be mechanical, but his story shouldn’t be.
3.5 out
of 5
Shame
Australian release: 9th February,
2012
Official
Site: Shame
Cast: Michael Fassbender, Carey Mulligan, Mari-Ange Ramirez, James Badge Dale, Nicole Beharie
Director: Steve McQueen
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