From time to time a movie arrives in cinemas that will leave such an impression that no matter what you do, it’ll always live in your mind. And Shame is one such movie.
Michael Fassbender plays Brandon, who is a 30 something man living in New York, with a seemingly good job, nice apartment and quite an appetite for sex and sexual release. Hookers, strangers, work colleagues, even the staff toilet all provide a release in some shape or form for Brandon, who is a sex addict. The Irish New Yorker’s life revolves around his addiction. Be it in the work place or on his laptop, sex never seems to be too far away from his mind. That is until his sister Sissy (Carey Mulligan) arrives and upsets the balance quite a bit. Now Brandon has his sister to contend with as she moves in with him and he finds his life spiralling out of control.
Michael Fassbender is on the fass (see what I did there) track to super stardom. His performance in Shame is the best of his career. It is something that, simply put, is out of this world. Every time he’s on screen he draws you in like a super magnet. Your eyes never leave his and you linger on every word, motion and subtleties that he offers up. He’s hypnotic. Case and point is the scene in the restaurant with his work colleague. Every time the bumbling waiter comes over, and interrupts it kind of knocks you on your ass and you realise you watching a film, before being sucked right back in. Its incredibly intense. At times you can almost see the light turn on inside Brandon's mind when he sees a woman he fancies. And you’re sitting there just mesmerised that an actor could actually project something like that into your conscious.
Carey Mulligan also pulls off one of the greatest performances of her career. She has an undercurrent of intensity that lends itself to give her an incredible presence on screen. The chemistry between brother and sister is one that will have you wondering just how much chemistry they actually have. At times its almost incestuous and uncomfortable to watch, which will have you discussing the relationship the two siblings have for some time.
Steve McQueen has written (along with Abi Morgan) and directed one of the best movies of the last 10 years. Watching Shame is not like your average trip to the cinema. This will leave a mark on you for some time to come. Again, the words hypnotic come to mind. And maybe I’m losing my mind, but the hypnotic effect is induced even more by the sound mix. Not the soundtrack (which is incredibly simple yet incredibly poignant) but the actual sound mix. It just seems to be at a slightly louder level than one is accustomed to. Computer hard drives, people, phones, everything on the soundmix just sucks you in completely. Its an enveloping experience. By the time the movie is over and you get a bit of silence, it takes a few minutes to come back down to earth. As for the sex, well there’s no shortage of it. It’s certainly something you won’t be taking granny to see. But during the sex, the imagery that is bestowed upon the audience signifies nothing about pleasure. It constantly hits you with obsession, routine and addiction.
This movie will just climb into your mind, and melt it. I really can’t say enough good things about this amazing piece of cinema. Shame is a haunting, hypnotic and incredibly surreal cinema going experience. Just mind-blowing. This is an ABSOLUTE MUST WATCH!
