Review of Shame (2011) by Chris M — 01 Oct 2013

Steve McQueen's debut feature film "Hunger" was a vis ceral, rage-filled cry of despair, depicting the brutality and inhumanity of 'The Struggles' in Northern Ireland. His follow-up is a near-silent portrayal of secrets and shame, of damaged lives and psyches.

Michael Fassbender is tremendous, all surface as he glides through his life in New York, masking a seething undercurrent of addiction and unhappiness. This is the least sexy film I've seen in a long time. Every sexual encounter is cold, unsatisfactory and empty, with one exception.

Carey Mulligan is similarly compelling, from her sultry, in-full performance of "New York, New York" to her only clue (?) to the origins of their shame; "we're not bad people, we just come from a bad place".

McQueen allows scenes to linger, giving his audience plenty of time to take in the nuances, and reflect for themselves on the nature of the sadness and unhappiness on screen. It's deliberately paced (slow?!) and, for all its gloss, pretty bleak. There are moments of human warmth, but they're all too often swamped in the inevitable tide of self-loathing that the characters are plagued with. Not too much fun, but a very accomplished film with everyone involved at the very top of their game.