I found this to be an absolute beauty. The soundtrack mixed with McQueen's perfected long takes makes this movie a favorite of mine. Sex addiction is rarely shown in such darkness and for that alone, I loved it. Fassbender and Mulligan, two thumbs way up. I can't rave enough.
There didn't really need to be any dialogue at all. Each shot of Brandon alone was beautiful, because that's all the movie is. It's about the intensity and the solitude of the addicted mind. No one really knows how devastating that one emotion is, and I think this movie depicted that wonderfully. Perfect performances from both Fassbender and Mulligan. This was hands down the best film of 2011.
Extremely artful beautiful film. It's definitely not one of my favorites but I do love Steve McQueen's style. The score fits in so well with the long periods of silence from the characters.
The music alone at the first few mins. at the start of the film got me immediately hooked, oh it was so good. The film was wonderfully shot like most have stated. It didn't bother me but I could have liked this film as much, if not more, without all the nudity.
~ this is the type of movie that a significant number of viewers will find boring, pretentious, and/or pointless.
Fassbender's performance is beyond words. Calm, collected, with an inner iron prison of utter controlled self loathing. Shame on Oscar for ignoring him, though I understand, this is far far too raw for mainstream consideration. The last reel blew me away, approaching some searing, deliriously awful 'climax' that left me nauseous, staggered, blown away, and yep, thoroughly limp, impressed ever more with the importance of the depth of the human heart.
A stark look at sexual addiction, Steve McQueen's Shame reminded me of Gordon-Levitt's Don Jon from 2 years later, but without the friendly voice-over. At the heart of the film is the relationship between Brandon (Michael Fassbender) and Sissy (Carey Mulligan), siblings with a contentious relationship, and because we're never really allowed into Brandon's head, all sorts of scenarios present themselves as his sister walks around naked in front of him, or jumps into his bed, etc. But is he revolted by her because of his own self-loathing, afraid of his impulses in those situations, or is it that she's an intimacy junkie, opposite to his own illness born of coping. The only thing we can almost say for certain is that both suffered trauma within their families, a trauma never spoken or explained, and tragically, one that makes Sissy need to have a relationship with her brother (the other survivor), but that makes Brandon want to flee anything connected with the event, including her. Not that anything like this is ever spoken out loud. McQueen presents us with realities that suggest a background and infers psychology, and these morph as we head deeper into the narrative. And yes, there's lots of nudity and sexual situations right out of pornography, but any early titillation one might feel watching eventually evaporates as the sex turns desperate and ugly.
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Comments 1 - 15 of 46
EssexMutant
It's not porn. Pornography is showing sexual images with the intent to provide sexual gratification. This is a film about addiction.nibbles
McQueen + Fassbender = killer comboJCL
Amazing photography, music and so well executed. Loved it.lionel42
Deep and Intriguing. Fassbender delivers a great performance.MarteJensen
This film made a massive impact on me. One of the greatest films of 2011.charliezy
sheer perfection in story telling. looong cutless scenes as we would have expected from McQueen, and great performance from michael...Loved it!
kayjay027
I found this to be an absolute beauty. The soundtrack mixed with McQueen's perfected long takes makes this movie a favorite of mine. Sex addiction is rarely shown in such darkness and for that alone, I loved it. Fassbender and Mulligan, two thumbs way up. I can't rave enough.lachyas
Lots of Fass' bender.bitchypixels
There didn't really need to be any dialogue at all. Each shot of Brandon alone was beautiful, because that's all the movie is. It's about the intensity and the solitude of the addicted mind. No one really knows how devastating that one emotion is, and I think this movie depicted that wonderfully. Perfect performances from both Fassbender and Mulligan. This was hands down the best film of 2011.last_lucas
I don't have words for this, just amazing.BadFluffy
It never goes much deeper than its premise. Beautifully acted and shot, yes, but pointless and vapid in the endtaylorannephotography
Extremely artful beautiful film. It's definitely not one of my favorites but I do love Steve McQueen's style. The score fits in so well with the long periods of silence from the characters.Lohman
The music alone at the first few mins. at the start of the film got me immediately hooked, oh it was so good. The film was wonderfully shot like most have stated. It didn't bother me but I could have liked this film as much, if not more, without all the nudity.~ this is the type of movie that a significant number of viewers will find boring, pretentious, and/or pointless.
Scratch47
Fassbender's performance is beyond words. Calm, collected, with an inner iron prison of utter controlled self loathing. Shame on Oscar for ignoring him, though I understand, this is far far too raw for mainstream consideration. The last reel blew me away, approaching some searing, deliriously awful 'climax' that left me nauseous, staggered, blown away, and yep, thoroughly limp, impressed ever more with the importance of the depth of the human heart.Siskoid
A stark look at sexual addiction, Steve McQueen's Shame reminded me of Gordon-Levitt's Don Jon from 2 years later, but without the friendly voice-over. At the heart of the film is the relationship between Brandon (Michael Fassbender) and Sissy (Carey Mulligan), siblings with a contentious relationship, and because we're never really allowed into Brandon's head, all sorts of scenarios present themselves as his sister walks around naked in front of him, or jumps into his bed, etc. But is he revolted by her because of his own self-loathing, afraid of his impulses in those situations, or is it that she's an intimacy junkie, opposite to his own illness born of coping. The only thing we can almost say for certain is that both suffered trauma within their families, a trauma never spoken or explained, and tragically, one that makes Sissy need to have a relationship with her brother (the other survivor), but that makes Brandon want to flee anything connected with the event, including her. Not that anything like this is ever spoken out loud. McQueen presents us with realities that suggest a background and infers psychology, and these morph as we head deeper into the narrative. And yes, there's lots of nudity and sexual situations right out of pornography, but any early titillation one might feel watching eventually evaporates as the sex turns desperate and ugly.Showing items 1 – 15 of 46