Movie Blog Post: 'Shame' Review

For me, the most impressive thing about British artist/director Steve McQueen's Shame is that the film was made and released exactly as McQueen wanted it to be.

It's not only impressive that it was made, but, for me, it's also important on a number of other levels, one of which goes back to what I just said: the fact that McQueen held steadfast when his film was branded with the often deadly NC-17 rating, refusing to edit anything that may allow it an R rating on appeal, yet still managing to get a major financial distributor in Fox Searchlight.

Shame is a perfect example of the hypocrisy of the MPAA's ratings system. Don't get me wrong, Shame absolutely deserves the rating it received by modern standards. But those standards are the source of the problem: the fact that gruesome, violent films filled with torture among other things are routinely given R ratings without second thought, allowing them to be seen freely by millions of people. Yet any depiction of semi-explicit or explicit sexuality is a no-no, garnering the dread rating that inevitably buries the film in only the artsy-est of theaters. That says something that I find odd about society, but I'll step down from the soapbox at this point.

Shame views sex addiction through a lens that isn't often considered. Brandon's (Michael Fassbender), addiction is no different than that of drugs or alcohol. It's a dark, consuming, self-destructive downward spiral desperately seeking rock bottom. There is no emotion in his acts, no passion, no pleasure. When actual feelings enter the picture, Brandon subconsciously gets turned off. Sex is nothing more than a fix, and finding it is a complete parallel to a drug addict frantically searching for the nearest dealer.

This isn't about promiscuity in any way. It's about a man in his own personal prison. Brandon's life from the outside looking in seems entirely normal. He has a cushy office job and an immaculate modern apartment in New York. But hidden, both literally and figuratively, beneath his well-kept facade is his undeniable secret, his demon, his shame.

When his needy sister, Sissy (Carrie Mulligan), shows up amidst her own serious personal turmoil and asks to stay with him, his secret is threatened, and his life begins to spin out of control. We begin not only to see the effect her presence has on his addiction, but the impact that his addiction will have on her life as well.
I think many people see sex addiction as not much more than a joke. They think of Hollywood celebrities claiming to need rehabilitation after cheating on their spouse. They don't think of Brandon. We've all seen films with depictions of alcoholism or graphic drug use, recreational or otherwise, but I'd venture to guess that nobody has seen sex addiction presented in this fashion before (see MPAA rant above). 

Shame is an ambitious, provocative look at a very unpleasant subject. It's not an easy film to watch. There are some shocking, squirm-worthy moments where you'll struggle not to look away.

Fassbender's performance is Oscar worthy for its level of commitment alone. Most actors wouldn't even consider such a daring and exposed (both emotionally and physically) role, but Fassbender owns the screen every step of the way. The subject matter and its depiction will turn many away, but that doesn't change the fact that Shame is one hell of a film. It's as bold a vision as I've ever seen, and I can't imagine anyone besides McQueen (a well respected artist) and Fassbender being committed enough to see it through.

10 out of 11

See more of Moorpark resident Brian Priestley's movie reviews at http://mastersofourdomain.blogspot.com/