Review of Shame (2011) by Anh H — 31 Dec 2013

It's been a while since the last time I watch anything this sad. The tone is so dark, yet so real that I feel like I'm inside Brandon's head. Judging solely on cinematography, this movie stands out for its beautiful camera work, making its visual story telling one of the best I've ever seen.

And it's really difficult to give depth to characters only by their appearance and visual techniques. You'll notice that Brandon doesn't talk much, but you can still read all the complex feelings through Fassbender's stunning performance.

I also like the way colors is shown in Shame: mostly black, white and gray, hinting the loneliness and emptiness suffocating the character. The movie ends with another scene on the train, leaving our character in his own trap with desire, conflicting with another choice between facing the depressing reality and a temporarily escape with his addiction.

Whatever it'd be, viewers are ones to decide. Overall, Shame is a convincing story about a loner facing the world and I respect the way it's made. However, it's way too dark and heavy, and it makes me wanna turn my back away from life, so I don't think that I could ever watch it again.