The latest work from the clearly dynamic creative partnership between writer-director Steve McQueen and actor Michael Fassbender (the two first worked together on the devastating film HUNGER and are slated to make TWELVE YEARS A SLAVE next) is a film best talked about in abstract terms, because if you discuss SHAME in specifics, it comes across as nothing more than a movie loaded with sex and nudity. But SHAME is a story of a man with an illness that is both sexual in nature and spiritual in the debilitating way it eats away at his humanity.
You might imagine it's difficult to feel bad for a man who is not only addicted to sex but is also attractive and appealing enough to act on his addiction pretty much whenever he wants. We literally see him turn on and seduce a woman on the subway just by locking eyes with her. But in just a few short years, Fassbender has proved to the movie-going world that has noticed him that he's an actor capable of adding extraordinary depth to any character he portrays. He draws us into Brandon Sullivan's world using a great deal of silence and maneuvering through the character's neat and orderly life that sometimes involves bringing a woman home to have aggressive sex or just sit in front of the computer and watch internet porn. There is little difference to him between the two. Brandon is a disconnected soul who takes advantage of the anonymity of living in New York City, and in turn the city is his enabler, providing him with outlets for his every joyless sexual whim.
We get glimpses of Brandon's work life as well, including his interaction with Marianne (Nicole Beharie), who seems to genuinely like him and offers a glimpse of an emotional connection that manifests itself in the bedroom by him not being able to perform with her. We also see Brandon interact with his co-worker David (James Badge Dale), the boorish antithesis of Brandon, who is trying so hard to be slick and charming when out on the town with Brandon that women reject him with authority.
Brandon is able to move through his life appearing to anyone observing to be a normal, somewhat introverted man. But when his extrovert sister Sissy (Carey Mulligan, playing well outside her comfort zone with electrifying results) arrives at his doorstep to stay with him, Brandon's internal hell breaks loose and it's very clear her presence isn't just about messing up his stuff; there's a darker past these two share that he'd clearly rather not deal with. What's worse is that when Brandon witnesses his sister throwing herself at men and demeaning herself sexually, he's forced to see someone he cares about get treated like all the women he never cared about.
The interplay between the brother and sister is riveting and endlessly fascinating, especially in a prolonged sequence at a nightclub where Sissy performs as a singer. During her smoldering blues version of "New York, New York," Brandon's façade drops ever so slightly, and he lets her into his heart. But true to McQueen's vision of Brandon, the second the song is over, the walls go back up between the two. As engaging as Fassbender is capable of being, he's at his absolute best here as a detached, icy creature showing only hints of the human being that lies beneath. The screenplay by McQueen and Abi Morgan eventually examines what it takes to tears down Brandon's emotional barriers, but by that point the damage may be done.
SHAME's genuine surprise is in Mulligan's performance. Known for playing quiet, more reserved characters in AN EDUCATION or earlier this year in DRIVE, Mulligan portrays Sissy as a person who lives on the surface—the exact opposite of her brother, who buries everything deep. Watching these two polar opposites dance around each other, but still share the common bond of being damaged, will be one of the purest joys you'll have all year. SHAME has garnered a bit of attention for being released with an NC-17 rating, and with good reason—everyone gets exceedingly naked in this movie. And while sex is usually the reason for all the nudity, there are a few shots of Fassbender just walking naked around his apartment, with the message being that Brandon doesn't assign any sexuality to his nakedness; you get used to it pretty quick.
Without a doubt, SHAME is the most compelling film out there right now and certainly one of the best of the year, featuring Fassbender's finest work to date, including his performance in the upcoming A DANGEROUS METHOD. He's an endless source of fascination for me, as he continues to impress in both mainstream work like INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS and as Magneto in X-MEN: FIRST CLASS, as well as smaller works like FISH TANK and JANE EYRE. But if he isn't considered a front runner in every award given out in the next couple of months, then people just aren't paying attention. This is a slow week for new releases, so if you're old enough, you should absolutely find out where SHAME is playing near you.
