Review of Shame (2011) by Mark M — 13 Jan 2015

What is sexual addiction? Does such a thing even exist? Could such an addiction even exist? If so, is it more or less invasive than other more notable forms of addiction? Critically acclaimed director Steve McQueen asks the hard-hitting questions about sex through a less confrontational but more subtle manner and its carnal evolution through the story of Brandon Sullivan, as his personal life that is fuelled by an insatiable, almost Olympian-esque sex drive begins to erode not just the ability to form relationships and to sustain them, but also his very psyche. Following a series of brilliant scenes serving as an introduction to the character of Brandon, McQueen then throws a wrench into his character's life with the appearance of Brandon's sister, Sissy, as the anomaly that is his equally dysfunctional sibling throwing his systematic life of routine and sex into chaos.

Baring all for Shame as a frequent collaborator of Steve McQueen, Michael Fassbender shines in his role as Brandon Sullivan, as Fassbender delivers a powerful performance that relied not just on the actor's good looks, but also on his incredible dramatic prowess in conveying and projecting the character's intensity, and one that has slowly begun to lose control of himself due to his equally troubled sister, Sissy, played just as excellently by Carey Mulligan.

Steve McQueen isn't a newcomer to filmmaking; prior to Shame, his resume stretches back almost two decades, though most of his early works consisted of artistic short films, which were followed by Hunger (2008), Shame and the universally acclaimed 12 Years a Slave (2013), which went on to win an Academy Award for Best Picture, amongst a slate of other awards and nominations. There is no denying the impact the latter had with its visceral depiction of slavery tugging at the heartstrings of its viewers, as McQueen relied on shocking his audience with the brutality of slavery, not just in a physical sense but that of an emotional one as well, with Chiwetel Ejiofor's character being dragged further down the pit of the economy of colored men based on Solomon Northrup's novel.

Shame is no different; in fact, the filmmaking that went into 12 Years a Slave was evidently a style that McQueen had refined following this movie. Through the sterile lens of another frequent collaborator of his, Sean Bobbitt - the cinematographer behind films such as Hunger, 12 Years a Slave and Oldboy (2013) - and with an impeccable ability to construct self-contained stories that rely less on exposition and more on the traditional storytelling technique of "Show, don't tell", Shame has McQueen utilizing a subdued form of direction and writing as he holds nothing back in telling a story that relies heavily on its visuals translating both the story and performance of the actors, but leaves just enough blanks in the narrative for the audience to fumble around in the dark as they attempt to fill in the blanks, particularly that of the Sullivan siblings background and the circumstances that led to their current predicament in living a life without shame.