Brandon is a thirty-something man living in New York who is unable to manage his sex life. After his wayward younger sister moves into his apartment, Brandon?s world spirals out of control. From director Steve McQueen, Shame is a compelling and timely examination of the nature of need, how we live our lives and the experiences that shape us.
This is a very sexually explicit drama aimed at adult moviegoers. Fans of stars Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan should be pleased with this big dramatic showcase. The film’s constant language, sex, and adult subject matter makes the film inappropriate for children.
Shame is a British drama film cowritten and directed by Steve McQueen, starring Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan. It was coproduced by Film4 and See-Saw Films. The film’s explicit sexual scenes regarding sexual addiction resulted in it being rated NC-17 in the United States. Shame was released in the United Kingdom (UK) on 13 January 2012.
About the Story
Brandon (Michael Fassbender) is a successful, handsome executive in his thirties living a fantasy life of hypersexuality in New York City. Distanced from his dysfunctional family and seemingly without any close friends, his carefully cultivated life lets him indulge a growing secret sexual addiction, while struggling with his eroding ability to connect emotionally with anyone. During his morning commute to work, on a subway train he flirts with a woman and she reciprocates. She has on both a wedding ring and an engagement ring, and when they exit the train, she disappears into the crowd.
Brandon and his married boss David (James Badge Dale) meet three women at a club. Later on, Brandon has sex with one of them, the one David was actually pursuing. When Brandon arrives home, he assumes a burglar is in his house but finds the unexpected visitor is his sister Sissy (Carey Mulligan), who let herself in with a door key he had given her, him having ignored phone calls from her.
They have an uncomfortably long discussion in the bathroom while Sissy is completely undressed, and making no attempt to cover herself. Sissy works as a part-time singer who has a few gigs in the city and asks to stay with Brandon; he later hears her pleading with her lover on the telephone not to reject her. Brandon is annoyed by Sissy’s visit as she is emotionally needy, a trait for which he has no patience. She is also interfering with and hindering his personal life, which forces him to think about the increasingly unhealthy, obsessive path his life is taking.
His company’s computer system is compromised by a virus; in the clean-up, Brandon’s computer hard drive indicates an obsessive history of surfing pornographic sites, one of which is probably the source of the virus. Although Brandon, who is driven to masturbate in the bathroom stall at work, is responsible, it is assumed by company heads that his intern is to blame.
The next morning at the subway station, Sissy is balancing herself on the edge of the platform. Brandon rebukes her, and in the brief exchange that follows Sissy persuades her brother to visit her as she performs at a club—something that he avoided in the past. Later, Brandon is joined by an enthusiastic David as they watch Sissy singing a very sad jazz version of “New York, New York”, which makes Brandon emotional.
Sissy joins Brandon and David at their table, where David courts her despite Brandon’s evident dismay. During the flirting, David notices the remains of healing slash scars on her wrists indicating a troubled history which he finds oddly enticing. Sissy accepts David’s advances and has sex with him in her brother’s bedroom while Brandon, disgusted, leaves his apartment and goes out running. Later that night, Sissy attempts to sleep in his bed with him. Enraged at her behavior, he orders her out of the room.
Shame
Directed by: Steve McQueen
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Carey Mulligan, James Badge Dale, Hannah Ware, Nicole Beharie, Elizabeth Masucci, Loren Omer
Screenplay by: Steve McQueen, Abi Morgan
Production Design by: Judy Becker
Cinematography by: Sean Bobbitt
Film Editing by: Joe Walker
Costume Design by: David C. Robinson
Set Decoration by: Heather Loeffler
Art Direction by: Charles Kulsziski
MPAA Rating: NG-17 for some explicit sexual content.
Studio: Fox Searchlight Pictures
Release Date: December 2, 2011
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