FILM: Shame dir. Steve McQueen (2011)

After hearing a lot of great things about Shame, I have to say I came away from it slightly disappointed. The story follows sex-addict Brandon Sullivan (Michael Fassbender), whose mundane and brutal existence is interrupted by the arrival of his sister, Sissy (Carey Mulligan). The film exposes the sordid underbelly of Manhattan and follows the breakdown of the relationship between the two siblings, as Brandon becomes increasingly irritated and suffocated by Sissy's presence. McQueen purposely leaves out the protagonists’ back-story, leaving it up to the viewer to imagine what 'shameful' upbringing led to their neurotic and isolated adult lives. The problem I had with this was that it was hard to feel any sort of empathy for the siblings as they unravelled desperately throughout the film, or to feel any emotional response towards them by the end. Thus when Sissy did her (agonisingly) slow rendition of ‘New York, New York’ which brings Brandon  to tears, I was left emotionally cold and slightly bored. Also, although I found the majority of the sex-scenes important in revealing Brandon's desires and motivations, I found myself really irritated by the final threesome, which dragged on forever and seemed entirely gratuitous. I was not convinced by the casting choice of having Mulligan play Sissy, as I did not find her quite manic or desperate enough and she appeared slightly one-dimensional throughout.  Having said that, there were a lot of great moments in the film – Fassbender’s acting was phenomenal throughout and the film was well-paced and shot beautifully - showing the gritty underside of urban life and the cold, bare monotonous routine of Brandon's sex-obsessed existence. The relationship between Sissy and Brandon was compelling (and uncomfortable) to watch; plagued by need, anger and incestuous desire. The most interesting parts of the film were the scenes between Brandon and his recently separated co-worker, Marianne, as they debated the point of monogamy in modern life, and eventually embarked on a doomed sexual encounter. Although I thought the film had its flaws, Steve McQueen's directorial style was unique, beautifully real and definitely thought-provoking, which made them somewhat forgivable.

Carey Mulligan singing 'New York': http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktLmRCGM7r0