Shame

Welcome to another episode of Lights....Camera....Popcorn!

Today's review is Shame.

Directed by Steve McQueen.

Written by Abi Morgan & Steve McQueen.

Review #151

MPAA Rating:  NC-17 for some explicit sexual content.

Runtime: 101 min

Cast

Michael Fassbender ...Brandon Sullivan

Carey Mulligan ...Sissy Sullivan

James Badge Dale ...David Fisher

Nicole Beharie ...Marianne

Sibling rivalries. Whether you have one or not you know of them. Some are playful and some are unfortunately malicious. The thing that makes a sibling rivalry unique are the many forms they take combined with how it was created in the first place. Regardless of the reason, a sibling rivalry can drive a wedge between family members that can't be broken. It's sad but an undeniable side effect. It's even sadder when 1 sibling is responsible for driving the wedge between the other. Is this the main story point of Shame? 

Yes. No. Maybe. That's why it's a great movie.

Plot


In New York City, Brandon's carefully cultivated private life, which allows him to indulge his sexual addiction is disrupted when his sister Cissy arrives unannounced for an indefinite stay.


The chatter surrounding this film revolved around 2 things. Both involving the same person. Michael Fassbender's performance and his very talked about frontal nudity. Let me clear the air for everyone here. Yes there are full frontal nude shots of him in the film but in NO way are they lingering. Reviews and audience opinions of the film compare his "exhibition" to a porn film and that's simply not true. Are the shots gratuitous? You can make a very valid argument. What they are more importantly are part of a very clever, well exectuted opening montage that introduces his character and his sex addiction.

It also establishes the relationship he has with Sissy.

It's this opening montage that sets up what was a very intense, complex but powerful performance. Fassbender achieves something with his dramatics that I haven't seen in a while. He conveys more saying nothing than with any syllable he uttered. He effectively gives us a man who is perfectly damaged. On the inside he's the total antithesis of what he portrays on the outside which is a  Handsome, charming, sexy, confident man. Fassbender gets even better when he has to deal with Sissy's arrival. It's established pretty quickly that Brandon is comfortable living his life the way he is. Sissy comes in and upsets the established order and here is where the film gets good.

The relationship between Brandon and Sissy is in a word complicated.

This is possible by the equally wonderful performance by Carey Mulligan. She's the yin to Brandon's yang. Sissy is a free spirit that represents everything that Brandon isn't. Right from the moment he first sees her in his apartment which is a pretty "telling" scene, you can see immediately that Brandon doesn't want her there. He knows what her presence will do for him and his lifestyle. Mulligan does a masterful job pushing Brandon's buttons just enough to drive him to the edge but never over it.

Until......

Thought I was going to give something away huh? Just messing with ya.

The biggest asset to this movie is Steve McQueen. His only other directorial effort was the 2008's Hunger. Another pretty good film I would recommend also starring Fassbender. Coincidentally. McQueen's next film Twelve Years a Slave will also star Fassbender so a pretty nice tag team has been formed here. McQueen pulls no punches with the material. However, contrary to other reviews, critics and especially the MPAA, with exception of possibly 2 scenes, I didn't see anything here that warranted an NC-17 rating. I realize that the MPAA are a bunch of misguided conservative fools who have no clue how to properly rate a film but the reaction outside of the MPAA's bubble was surprising to me after I saw this movie.

Shame primarily concerns a man and his addiction to sex so that's what we get.

That's why I don't agree with the rating. Especially it's description. I have to reiterate that there are a couple of scenes that do toe the line between a hard R and and NC-17 rating but "explicit sexual content" doesn't jive with me. The supposed explicit content is IMPLIED but never fully exposed. I'm afraid this was another case of the stuffy suits at the Motion Picture Academy of America tagging a film because it's main subject is something they have historically been uncomfortable with.

Enough about my MPAA rant. Back to McQueen's mastery.

McQueen does a lot with so little. There's not much dialogue so character and plot development is acquired through the performances of the cast. This is why the praise for Fassbender and Mulligan is so high and rightfully so. McQueen let's his stars own their characters while maintaining their complexities created by him and co writer Abi Morgan. He also masters pacing and timing. There are several scenes that are filled with tension and anticipation. He achieved this using much more subtle techniques that I wished were in more films. Instead of using predictable music to set up what will eventually happen. He relies on the performance of his talent to drive the scene. He also doesn't cut away too soon. He let's a shot hang just long enough to create the feeling that the scene is supposed to give you. Then he gives you the break you need to breathe. This is expertly done in the very first scene of the film.

McQueen's greatest achievement comes at the film's climax (no pun intended). When the tension between Brandon and Sissy comes to a boil the predictable outcome ensues. What made it so awesome was the way it was executed. I won't say how but if you're paying attention you will see it. Then something happened after that scene that I didn't expect. McQueen pulled a fast one on me. I started to realize that the film's title has multiple meaning's for the film itself and for Brandon. Shame obviously applies to Brandon's sex addiction. It also applies to his lack of attention he gives Sissy. Instead of seeing her as his sister he sees her as a burden on his existence. To think that one can regard another family member like that for no other reason than the feeling of inconvenience is "Shame"ful. It was this realization that brings more weight to a film that seemed very matter of fact at the outset.

BRAVO!

On the 5 star scale. Shame gets the full house. 5 stars with a "Worth Every Penny!" recommendation.

This was a hidden gem for me this year. I'm glad I was able to catch it before it disappeared. It definitely makes my top 10 films of 2011 list.

That's a wrap for today.

Until Next Episode...."I'll Save You A Seat!"

"D"