Shame [Blu-ray]

Spoilers?

This is a wonderful, powerful film which made a great impression when shown at the Leeds Film Festival in late 2011.

Brandon, brilliantly played by Fassbinder, works in New York in an unspecified job, but he is clearly successful and on the top table. His relationships at work are defined by his position in the hierarchy: his boss is his mate, but it is pretty clear that Brandon is eager to please him and that they are certainly not close. He has a series of sexual relationships with women in the film which are driven purely by sexual gratification: he visits prostitutes, seems skilled at picking up women in social encounters for no-strings sex and is clearly heavily into porn sites, including webcams and chat. He is sexually predatory, but only in seeking consensual sex. His home laptop 'sleeps' in porn access mode, it seems, and his boss complains that Brandon's computer check reveals a hard drive swamped with extreme porn: responsibility is deflected onto a recent intern. His flat is clean, characterless and monochrome: there are no signs that any of his frequent encounters leave any trace in his domestic life and it seems little more than a space to live in.

Into this emotional desert arrives his sister, Cissy, a singer. Despite her need for somewhere to stay, he is so determined on keeping his life uncluttered by an fetters, emotional or otherwise, that his agreement is only reluctantly given and given with very bad grace. Cissy's presence in his life once more and the emotional neediness which comes with it is something he can barely tolerate, not because it is simply inconvenient but because it stirs up unspecified emotional trauma from the past. She self-harms, desperately needs warmth from someone, but Brandon is unwilling or unable to provide it. Her presence in the film, and that of a co-worker, Marianne, with whom he has something approaching an affectionate encounter, are the catalysts for a deeply painful epiphany for Brandon. He cannot access the tenderness which Marianne offers and is forced to face Cissy's profound sadness in dramatic fashion.

In fact, the film is framed by representative encounters: Brandon pursues (metaphorically and then literally) a woman on the subway. They exchange looks full of sexual energy. At the end of the film, the same woman sees him again and this time initiates the gaze. The difference in his reaction is a measure of the change within him and a sense of his insight into his predicament. But any change is as ill-defined and lightly suggested as the root causes of the siblings' profound unhappiness: a number of possible causes of this occur to the viewer as the film progresses, but I would suggest that the the lack of clarity here is important to the film's effect. (At one point Cissy says, 'We're not bad people: just come from a bad place.') This film is not an advert for the successes of quick fix therapy, nor is it judgemental and disapproving.

As well as Fassbender's mesmerising performance, Cary Mulligan as Cissy is also outstanding: there is a wonderful scene where she sings in pretty relentless close-up 'New York, New York', not as a high-octane celebration of the city but as a poignant appeal for connection. (There has been some negative comment about her rendering of the song: if you actually read the lyrics, which refer to 'little town blues', and a desire to 'wake up in a city,......, To find I'm king of the hill, Head of the list, Cream of the crop, At the top of the heap,' it seems to me that her approach is entirely in keeping. Someone is depressed and is desperate for the transformation that somehow easily and passively, just being in this city will achieve. It doesn't seem to be the solution for Brandon or Cissy because, of course, change generally comes from within and they, like the rest of us, carry their baggage with them!) In my opinion the song is superbly done and very moving. The film is brilliantly shot too with a great eye for formal structures and a palette generally bled of brightness and warmth. There are long takes, such as Brandon's jogging, which capture perfectly his isolation and essential aimlessness.

Bleak stuff? Undoubtedly, though not quite as bleak as Bergman's similarly titled film. But riveting, involving and affecting. It is completely unerotic, and I'm reluctant to describe it as a film 'about a sex addict' which simultaneously might be see as a come-on by some, and an oversimplification by me, mistaking the wound for the real illness. Perhaps describing it as a film about alienation and emotional disengagement is nearer the mark.

I can't wait to see it a second time! A minor masterpiece!

I read all the reviews and they all seem to see Fassbender's character as an addict, someone who is atypical, an unhappy outsider, sick. The sister, too, is perceived as emotionally damaged. What if we were to see these characters as TYPICAL, as representing what life is like for many younger adults today living in massive anonymous ugly-chic cities, dividing their lives between workplaces where they are in constant anxiety about losing their job (or worse, not at work and not having a properly paid job at all), boxy apartments where they squat in front of screens watching mainstream movies or porn online, and dangerous night streets. As I watched this I couldn't help thinking, too, of Damian Lewis in Keane, an even more uncomfortable look at very similar themes. Maybe what we are seeing here is the present and future for young people. Three stars: the film is very memorable, but not at all enjoyable.

Directed by Steve McQueen, "Shame" explores sexual addiction, alienation, and loneliness in contemporary New York City. With its many sex scenes, the film manages to be unerotic. The movie and its actors have received numerous accolades. The acting is convincing and the scenes of city life well drawn. Many viewers will find this film disturbing.

The film stars Michael Fassbender as a successful 30ish professional named Brandon who cannot control his sexual appetites or channel his sexuality into a relationship. Brandon is both a predator and a victim. He is apparently able to pick up attractive similarly lonely women on the spot for short encounters. Brandon also uses the services of prostitutes. When he is home alone, he watches pornography and camgirls on his computer. He gets confronted with a wide range of pornographic material on his office computer. He is unable to function in an attempted relationship with a coworker, Marianne, (Nichole Beharie) which involves attempted emotion beyond sex. Fassbender plays this role well in his lines, dress, gestures, and facial expressions. He has a sense of decency and is at war with himself.

The other primary character in "Shame" is Brandon's younger sister Sissie played by Carrie Mulligan. Sissie has suicidal tendencies and is emotionally needy. She moves in with Brandon early in the film and the emotional tension mounts between the siblings as the movie progresses. Each sees the serious, devastating issues in the life of the other. Brandon's sexual addition and his relationship with Sissie become intertwined and form the two themes of this movie.

The movie makes have use of atmosphere to establish the sordid character of Brandon's mind. There are many scenes of crowded subways which capture the lonely, solitary character of much urban life. There are pick-up scenes in bars, from the fancy to the seedy, which stress lack of emotional connection. The movie shows several scenes of paid sex between Brandon and various women together with the shame and sadness felt by both parties. The musical score is ominous and brooding, punctuated by Glenn Gould playing Bach and by various pop songs. Sissie is trying to make it as a singer and, in a pivotal scene of the movie, offers a rendition of "New York New York" in the company of Brandon and his boss.

The movie includes substantial nudity, male and female. To their credit, the producers declined to soften the movie to receive an "R" rather than a "NC-17" rating. The movie offers an effective portrayal of how sex can become a narcotic to deal with loneliness in a harsh world.

Robin Friedman