Shame (B+ or 3/4 stars)
'Shame' (written & directed by Steve McQueen, Hunger) tells an unsavory tale of sex addiction. Brandon (Michael Fassbender) is a NYC yuppie who 'seems' to have it all. His great job finances an upscale apartment & nightlife. But, for him, sex has become a dabilitating compulsion. His routine consists of ducking into men's bathrooms to masturbate, watching porn on his work computer, & paying call girls to help him along in his desperate quest for orgasms. Emotional attachment cannot enter these scenarios. He hates it (thus, himself). He dares not date, because that means that sex has to mean something. One-night-stands are okay, preferably with the married women he makes eye contact with on the subway (great opening & closing scenes), or girls he picks up at the bar.
Brandon's urges are out-of-control, but he does barely manage them, at least to the point where no one else realizes his condition. But that only lasts until his nomadic, needy, emotionally-unstable sister, Sissy (Carey Mulligan), moves into his apartment against his wishes - she has nowhere else to go. And the baggage she brings with her (it seems they both had bad childhoods - make of that what you will), Brandon starts to lose a grip on himself. Sissy represents a catalyst & we see her through Brandon's cold eyes. The other 2 people of significance in this story - co-worker Marianne (Nicole Beharie), for whom he develops feelings, and his boss (James Badge Dale) - impact Brandon's life, as well. Due to them, Brandon realizes how shallow his life really is. Not only can't he consummate a relationship with Marianne, but his cruel treatment to Sissy pushes her to her own disastrous brink.
With this movie, we see how sex addiction is as crippling as other dependences: alcohol, drugs, etc.. Those afflicted are governed by the need for 'release' (orgasm). But they don't love the expulsion. It's sex without emotion. It's just something they're compelled to do. You do the act, you feel miserable immediately afterwards (no satisfaction), and yet ... the painful desire to do it again resurfaces soon thereafter. This contrasts with popular opinion that non-stop sex is fantastic. For those like Brandon, it's nothing short of an eliptical nightmare. He just can't ever connect.
Fassbender is stripped of everything, here. Yes, his clothes (as talked about in every media outlet - he is shown naked and/or simulating sex in several scenes). But he also strips Brandon, emotionally - conveying misery so well. Many of his best scenes feature no dialogue (where he exudes a silent intensity). Probably the most intense segment of the film is the dramatic unraveling of Brandon's psyche as he unleashes his physical urges in a bar, at a gay club, & with 2 women in a cheap motel. The pain & despair on his face as he climaxes is haunting. And when he sobs during a scene near the end, you feel it (because we've already spent 80 min. with a closed-off soul). Carey Mulligan also majorly impressed me. Her near-defeatist, desperate plea for a 2nd chance at life (while singing a melancholy rendition of New York, New York) is great. And I find the vague context of her & Brandon's broken childhood to be fascinating ... what happened to them?
I also think it's interesting that the director chose Michael Fassbender - a hot up & coming actor - to star in his film about sex addiction. One would think that the intent was to nab interest/viewers because of Fassbender's looks/nudity. WRONG. In a brilliant twist, McQueen uses Fassbender to actually make an extremely un-sexy movie about sex. There's no joy in it. And to watch Fassbender appear increasingly pathetic after each conquest is really something. On the whole, 'Shame' is a solid film. It's a director's vision. But it's not an easy sit: dark, sad, characters hit rock bottom. And the film does little more than to exhibit how devastating sex addiction is. There are no resolutions; as evident in the last shot of the film. But then, most addicts struggle to overcome their whole life.
Brandon's urges are out-of-control, but he does barely manage them, at least to the point where no one else realizes his condition. But that only lasts until his nomadic, needy, emotionally-unstable sister, Sissy (Carey Mulligan), moves into his apartment against his wishes - she has nowhere else to go. And the baggage she brings with her (it seems they both had bad childhoods - make of that what you will), Brandon starts to lose a grip on himself. Sissy represents a catalyst & we see her through Brandon's cold eyes. The other 2 people of significance in this story - co-worker Marianne (Nicole Beharie), for whom he develops feelings, and his boss (James Badge Dale) - impact Brandon's life, as well. Due to them, Brandon realizes how shallow his life really is. Not only can't he consummate a relationship with Marianne, but his cruel treatment to Sissy pushes her to her own disastrous brink.
With this movie, we see how sex addiction is as crippling as other dependences: alcohol, drugs, etc.. Those afflicted are governed by the need for 'release' (orgasm). But they don't love the expulsion. It's sex without emotion. It's just something they're compelled to do. You do the act, you feel miserable immediately afterwards (no satisfaction), and yet ... the painful desire to do it again resurfaces soon thereafter. This contrasts with popular opinion that non-stop sex is fantastic. For those like Brandon, it's nothing short of an eliptical nightmare. He just can't ever connect.
Fassbender is stripped of everything, here. Yes, his clothes (as talked about in every media outlet - he is shown naked and/or simulating sex in several scenes). But he also strips Brandon, emotionally - conveying misery so well. Many of his best scenes feature no dialogue (where he exudes a silent intensity). Probably the most intense segment of the film is the dramatic unraveling of Brandon's psyche as he unleashes his physical urges in a bar, at a gay club, & with 2 women in a cheap motel. The pain & despair on his face as he climaxes is haunting. And when he sobs during a scene near the end, you feel it (because we've already spent 80 min. with a closed-off soul). Carey Mulligan also majorly impressed me. Her near-defeatist, desperate plea for a 2nd chance at life (while singing a melancholy rendition of New York, New York) is great. And I find the vague context of her & Brandon's broken childhood to be fascinating ... what happened to them?
I also think it's interesting that the director chose Michael Fassbender - a hot up & coming actor - to star in his film about sex addiction. One would think that the intent was to nab interest/viewers because of Fassbender's looks/nudity. WRONG. In a brilliant twist, McQueen uses Fassbender to actually make an extremely un-sexy movie about sex. There's no joy in it. And to watch Fassbender appear increasingly pathetic after each conquest is really something. On the whole, 'Shame' is a solid film. It's a director's vision. But it's not an easy sit: dark, sad, characters hit rock bottom. And the film does little more than to exhibit how devastating sex addiction is. There are no resolutions; as evident in the last shot of the film. But then, most addicts struggle to overcome their whole life.