We all want to be wanted, we all want to be desired, to be someone else’s drug. It’d be nice to be sexually revered. We hear differing opinions like “sex is poison” and “sex is power” or “sex is life”. That little endorphin kick as you and your partner become one in a single ever-lasting second, when everything else is gone and you two are just drifting along the stars, soaring through the universe. It’s intoxicating and some people let it take over. Some people have their whole lives ruled by sex. It’s unbearable, not being able to achieve the relationship you want so you resort to cheap love.
‘Shame’ is a psychological drama directed by Steve McQueen (No, not from ‘The Great Escape’) that follows the sexual addiction of Brandon, played by Micheal Fassbender, and his need to cut back as his sister comes to stay. It’s a quiet, contemplative movie that devastates you, leaving you staring at the water in the bath hearing that goddamn orchestra in your head. It’s final act is a disturbing but captivating commentary on addicts when they’re pushed too far and decide to embrace the darkness within them.
Brandon is a business executive who can’t go a whole day without sex or porn. It’s an indulgence that now controls his life, tempting him with prostitutes and masturbating in the work bathroom. When his sister, Sissy, comes to stay with him, Brandon is forced to go cold turkey and paired with his toxic dynamic with Sissy, slowly becomes much darker, more addicted and less human. When a tragedy occurs, Brandon has to decide whether he is stronger than the addiction or that he’s weak enough to let this keep happening and who be at risk next?
Fassbender gives one of the greatest performances of his career. He plays the role with a nice quietness, keeping his urges silent and never letting anyone in emotionally, which makes his breakdown in the third act so heartbreaking. It’s beyond criminal Fassbender didn’t earn an Oscar for this role. Sissy is played by Carey Mulligan, who is always a treat to see onscreen, whether she’s the fantasy of Ryan Gosling in ‘Drive’ or the gorgeous but ditzy wife of Tom Buchanan in ‘Gatsby’. Here, she’s childlike and tender, needing some connection with her brother. Her performance is just as masterful as Fassbender’s and their chemistry is damn perfect.
The sex scenes in this film can be long, but I’ll argue the content is needed. While it may feel like you’re watching Fassbender make love to his co-worker for three or four minutes, it’s important for the film’s distinction of sex. Your brain can be trained to become aroused to the rougher, more primal type but completely ignore any sensual, more romantic type, and it’s this balance which leads to a healthy sex life. The sex scenes show what an off-balance sex life looks like and serve as a warning not to over-indulge.
The score by Harry Escott is astounding with the most prominent track being ‘Brandon’ which starts with a brief ticking before launching into a sweeping string orchestra, getting louder and louder as Brandon is shown in the opening montage. This track was modified for the later two tracks, ‘Unravelling’, which takes a darker, more monotone sound, with the ticking even louder and ‘End Credits’, which fractures it, leaving us only with a stiff piano performance, no string orchestra or ticking, just a few chords over a few seconds.
Mason’s Top 3 Reasons To Watch ‘Shame’
- A classical soundtrack to fall in love with.
- A quiet discursive piece on the power sex holds on our lives.
- A third act which I consider to be one of the darkest transformations I’ve seen in cinema.