SHAME

Brandon isn't an average joe. He's got a good job, financial means, etc. But he also has a problem with self-control. He is on a daily, sometimes hourly basis overwhelmed with lust. He is a sex addict. When he can, he hires prostitutes. If there isn't enough time, he watches pornography, often at work. As it often is with addicts, when he get's an urge, nothing else matters. He's good at picking up women, but will probably never be close to one. Brandon is played by Michael Fassbender and is the subject of the new film Shame by Irish director Steve McQueen.

There is one woman who does want to be close to him, his sister Sissy (Carey Mulligan). After Brandon ignores a series of her calls, Sissy comes to stay with him. He can't exactly kick out his sister but her presence is inconvenient given his lifestyle. They act out at each other and engage in a kind of emotional combat. For instance, she starts to take an interest in Brandon's married boss. Brandon wants nothing to do with her, perhaps out of fear. She just needs to have someone, anyone in her life.

Since Fassbender's breakout role in McQueen's previous film Hunger, he's been seen as the second coming of Daniel Day-Lewis and he does everything to bolster that claim here. His performance is both raw and restrained. He is able to suggest deep pain without displaying any visible pyrotechnics. Mulligan is equally good. She displays an amazing fragility that is at times hard to watch. Particularly in a scene where she delivers an unbearably downbeat rendition of "New York, New York." McQueen's camera refuses to cut until long after the audience looks away. Shame is a very detached film, but intentionally so. After all Brandon is a detached man, almost hermetically sealed. It might have been a better film if it where less self-consciously aloof than it's main character, but it would also have been even harder to watch. Also it can be debated whether or not the end is over the top or not.

There's no way around it. Shame is not for the faint of heart. It's one of the more depressing films I've seen in a long time. It is a portrait of two people who have led, will continue to lead, very painful and lonely lives. Those who choose to endure it will not find a hopeful message at the end. There is no redemption here. It is a portrait of two souls cast into Hell and Hell is a cold place.

Grade: B