Review of Shame (2011) by Ypomoni — 04 Jul 2013

Steve McQueen has upped his game after Hunger. Brandon (Fassbender) is apparently very efficient in his workplace, and appears to have an ordered life, when in reality he is a sex-addict. He is seen falling apart with the arrival of his sister Sissy (Mulligan), another troubled person whom he sees as more than a disruption to his routine.

There are many sex-scenes far too many, in my opinion, but as you would expect none are erotic (nor did they aim to be). Besides Sissy, no one knows of Brandon's "shame", something that should strike us as odd but doesn't.

This is because Brandon, as "pleasant" as he is around others, is in fact distant. He is unable to let himself make emotional connections without them tearing him apart (a fact that is made evident in the film not only by Sissy's presence, but also by his attempt to engage with a co-worker for whom he obviously has feelings for).

The character Brandon would have been unbearable to watch if it wasn't for Michael Fassbender's portrayal of him how on earth was this performance not up for an Oscar? Really, how? McQueen strikes a remarkable balance between the two extremes On the one hand, one uses sex for carnal pleasure, because he is disconnected (Brandon), for whatever reason, and cannot (or refuses to) allow themselves to be emotionally available, and the other (Sissy) is so desperate to feel any connection that they use sex as a means to feel "loved".

The amazing portrayals from both actors have you believing what Sissy states they are not bad people, they just come from a bad place. We, the audience, never find out what this "bad place" is, nor do we need to know the emphasis is on how the characters have been affected.

Brandon and Sissy can be anyone around us. They both fall deeper into the grips of their own dependencies as the film progresses. This isn't an easy watch, but it is worth seeing.