Shame is not a pleasant film to watch. McQueen, like all good directors, clearly had no intentions of pleasing his audience – he wanted to make a film that sticks in your mind for a while. In this he was incredibly successful.
Michael Fassbender is a delight to watch as sex-addict Brandon, who can’t go more than a few minutes in his otherwise dull life without getting distracted by a girl across from him on the subway, or in his office, and escaping to the toilets for some alone time.
It’s never played for laughs, though, and if the thought of watching a grown man masturbate doesn’t appeal, you should know it’s hardly the most uncomfortable part of the film.
Carey Mulligan is equally mesmerizing as Brandon’s sister Cissy, a girl whose own particular brand of messed-up collides explosively with Brandon’s after she moves in with him. This collision forms the bulk of the film, which eschews plot development in favour of giving a two-hour blast of character exposition.
Shame is new. You won’t find anything like it in cinemas, and although there are dozens more reasons you should watch it, the heart-wrenchingly bold novelty of the film is what means you absoultely must see it.
4 STARS