Director Steve McQueen’s Shame offers another devastating portrait of a soul in torment, much like his last film with star Michael Fassbender did, Hunger. In Shame, the psychosexual dynamic at play here is so overpowering that the director doesn’t quite get under the skins of his characters in the same way as he did in Hunger. That said, the film is a mesmerizing look at a struggling sexual addict clearly unlike anything previously offered in cinema.
Shame (Blu-ray Combo Pack)
Directed by Steve McQueen
Studio: Twentieth Century Fox
Year: 2011
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 1080p AVC codec
Running Time: 101 minutes
Rating: NC-17
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 English; Dolby Digital 5.1 Spanish
Subtitles: SDH, Spanish
Region: A
MSRP: $ 39.99
Release Date: April 17, 2012
Review Date: April 17, 2012
The Film
4/5
A successful Manhattan businessman, Brandon (Michael Fassbender) seemingly has it all: a good job, the respect and admiration of his boss David (James Badge Dale), a comfortable and well maintained apartment, and an ease and degree of sexual magnetism that can help him score with any woman he wants. But dating isn’t really Brandon’s thing; he’s actually emotionally closed to anything but the sex act itself, and he finds release with a series of high priced call girls, online sex sites, and a vast collection of pornography. When his cabaret singer/sister Sissy (Carey Mulligan) comes calling hoping to establish some kind of lasting relationship with her older brother, he’s resentful of her disrupting his established routine, and a serious quarrel between them leads Brandon to a night of anything-goes sexual abandon.
The script by director McQueen and Abi Morgan puts his central character through the gamut of sexual experiences from quickies in a dirty alley to a threesome and even a homosexual encounter. There’s one lengthy sexual tryst with co-worker Marianne (Nicole Beharie) who had at one time earlier in the film seemed the most likely to break through Brandon’s emotionally icy shell (ironically, it’s the only sexual act that doesn’t lead to a climax in the film), and they’re all filmed in extreme close-up leaving little to the imagination (the NC-17 rating was not a fluke as the film also features full nudity for both the stars and for many of Brandon’s female partners). And yet some may find the film emotionally dry and somewhat unsatisfying despite all of the sex play. Brandon says very little, and the one major scene between brother and sister which might have given us more valuable backstory to explain their strained relationship ends too quickly. Does Brandon learn and grow from his fateful encounter with his sister and his night of degradation? Though clues are there to suggest a conclusion, the writer-director isn’t about to make things easy for his audience.
It’s a tour de force performance for Michael Fassbender who fearlessly appears through the film unselfconscious about the full frontal nudity and the sexual simulations he accomplishes throughout. He seems a creature of the night (the film is drained of color and at times he seems almost like a vampire) and a defiant protector of his own space in a riveting performance that earned him Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival. Carey Mulligan as the hopelessly needy, immature, and somewhat bratty sister gets a little showcase of her own as she sings “New York, New York” in an arresting jazz ballad arrangement, but the script doesn’t fill in many blanks as to her troubled and obviously tangled past, and she remains an enigma through much of the movie. Nicole Beharie is at her best in a date scene in which she defends relationships against Brandon’s sex-and-out philosophy.
Video Quality
4/5
The film is presented in its theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1 and is offered in a 1080p transfer using the AVC codec. Color has been desaturated throughout thus giving the entire movie a look of coolness and possessing almost an antiseptic quality. Sharpness is generally excellent, and black levels are very good, but contrast is occasionally a little milky. The film has been divided into 24 chapters.
Audio Quality
4/5
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 sound mix doesn’t exploit its rear channels much at all, something of a loss with a film produced amid the bustling streets and thoroughfares of New York City. The spread across the front channels is most impressive with good bass levels during the many subway scenes and terrific ambiance with Harry Escott’s music score. Dialogue has been recorded well and is generally discernible when the actors don't mumble.
Special Features
2.5/5
A series of EPK featurettes is offered in 1080p:
- “Focus on Michael Fassbender” has the actor discussing his sexually obsessive character for 3 minutes.
- “Director Steve McQueen” discusses both Shame and Hunger and his trusting working relationship with Michael Fassbender for 3 ¼ minutes.
- “The Story of Shame” features brief interviews with stars Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan and director Steve McQueen talking about their characters and their interaction in the movie. It runs 3 ¼ minutes.
- “A Shared Vision” details more of the working relationship between director McQueen and star Fassbender in their two projects together and hopefully another project soon. This runs 2 ½ minutes.
“Fox Movie Channel Presents: In Character with Michael Fassbender” offers the film’s star again discussing his sexually addictive character and his dysfunctional relationship with his sister in this 480i featurette that runs 5 ¼ minutes.
The film’s theatrical trailer runs 1 ¾ minutes in 1080p.
The disc offers promo trailers for The Descendants and Margaret.
The second disc in the set is a combination DVD/digital copy of the movie with enclosed instructions for installation on Mac and PC devices.
In Conclusion
3.5/5 (not an average)
Sexual addiction has rarely been presented as unblinkingly and with such fervor as in Shame. A galvanizing central performance by Michael Fassbender is the strongest reason for screening the film though for most a rental will likely suffice. Recommended!
Matt Hough
Charlotte, NC
