Review of Shame (2011) by Benwomack — 06 Nov 2019

Time/ Date:19/6/19ce rented Shame, 12 Years… 20/6 returned.

Title/people responsible:Shame (2011) Steve McQueen, Abi Morgan.

Relationship to the truth: If not held in check, then the sex appetite can overwhelm; make a person unhappy?

Description:

Shame. Act one. The two protagonists are seen naked. Man, is reasonably rich- there’s more than a hint of American Psycho- if you haven’t seen that, a corporate environment; tension. Cruelty. Male , the universe. Woman, is a bit of a flirt? Perhaps. Perhaps not. Wears charming vintage clothes. Comes over to live with him. Are sold to you as siblings. Act two. What we’ve seen, but she has not, is that the man has a problem: he is over the top when it comes to women. Animal. Sees them, as pieces of meat- (and is not a vegetarian.) Hunger, appetite relationship. Reached a point- he can’t stop- basically, emotionless sex- and he doesn’t wait for another person to be around. So much that his computer has been confiscated at the office.

(The office, is not terribly professional, actually. The boss wears a hoody- they go out to a nightclub. Anyway, where was I.) Man has this secret problem. The woman – his sister, apparently- shows , by singing, that she is more in touch with her emotions, but. Emotions are not an entirely straightforward bag- she’s a history of self-harm. Touched upon.

By the end of the act, after having reiterated the point about him being lonely, the sister, woman figure, uncovers his secret- catches him at it. His world promptly falls apart.

Act three. Man throws out all his stuff- even his laptop, dirty with the stain. He’s very angry at his sister, at having violated his privacy. There was a conversation, on a sofa, that I passed by- may have been significant- sounded angry. His confidence receives a knock- someone he may have had a chance of going out with, can’t have sex with her - (perhaps, the writers are amazed at their deftness here- he can’t have sex with her, ‘cos she’s a real person, geddit? Perhaps not. ).

Man goes on a bender. (Quite literally- an all-male orgy to begin with- sorry.) Then a threesome – I fast-forwarded. Day breaks, returns home, and… the woman has attempted suicide; blood everywhere. Gets her to hospital, sit by bed. The end, pretty much- cries to God, the skies. (Reaction : That’s where it gets you, this approach to life, may be being said. ).

Reaction:

What actually is shame? Search Wikipedia. You feel guilt for what you've done, shame for what you are?? Keep asking.

Shame. My parents were away , having a night in London. Cue saucy movie, no.

I watched the extras first. Mr Fassbinder in conversation - “Hadn’t *tackled* sexual addiction”… ok. A lot of things around sexual addiction “people can’t *put their fingers on*.” ok.

From the Q+A, the suggestion is made, the whole thing is basically a charity vid for sex addiction.

It has the tropes, of a charity appeal: very insistent piano in the background; the horror fleetingly referred to (er… not that fleetingly); the plight of the sufferer brought to the fore.

The trouble with taking that approach, 1) the undercover police problem. Once seen, difficult to un-see, nudity. Spencer Tunic may be, giving everyone their bodies back, with his mass nakedness project, and clothes may make nakedness more erotic, when it’s plum normal. However. 2) How is someone addicted to sex, going to benefit from watching the movie, when it contains many triggers? If it works at all, it is in hammering it home, to a parent - your son may look, as if nothing’s happening- but- he’s withstanding this tide of corruption, daily, nightly- (if, he/she is). The Lost Weekend, Leaving Las Vegas... Was Hogarth’s The Rake’s Progress any more subtle? But , even though I prefer Hogarth for the same job, a picture doesn’t demand two hours of your life.

Felt very much better, after experiencing Shame to the extent I did, in the company of fellow reviewers: David Thomson in New Republic. Ignaty Vishnevetsky in MUBI (a bit); and Dorothy Woodend, all… laying it to rest, slightly.