Brandon (Michael Fassbender) is a New Yorker who shuns intimacy with women but feeds his desires with a compulsive addiction to sex. When his wayward younger sister (Carey Mulligan) moves into his apartment stirring memories of their shared painful past, Brandon's insular life spirals out of control.
Shame tells the tragic story of a man so blocked off the world around him; he cannot feel the satisfaction of anything. His emotions are locked inside and the key has all but been lost. The only real moments he has a sense of feeling is when he climaxes during sexual intercourse. Thus he is the absolute definition of a sex addict. It controls everything about his life. He cannot go minutes without an intrusive thought or actions. He has allowed the addiction to overtake him. It’s somewhat pathetic, but this kind of downward spiral without an end is sight is highly entertaining. It’s when his sister unexpectedly crashes onto his doorsteps that the film begins to show just how isolated Brandon truly is. The paths he takes and the choices he makes just to get that one fix is portrayed no different than when a junkie is craving for a fix of drugs. His world is spiraling out of control and when his sister needs his help, he is absolutely puzzled. How can he help somebody else when he can’t even help himself? It’s a question he struggles with; goes back and forth with, but ultimately has to answer. It’s a raw film with lots of questions and very little answers, but one that will leave you looking with fascination.
With no doubt in my head, Michael Fassbender gives the performance of the year. It’s hard to remember a time when I truly hated this actor, but with the year he had, he completely won me over to the point where I will see anything he acts in. His performance here is raw; it has no flashes, no camera tweaks, and no beautiful portrayals of his character. It’s just simply him walking around the streets of New York City wondering what the hell is wrong with him. The agony of it all is on full display during his sexual encounters, and his carefully chosen words to his sister should leave you feeling the same way I did. It’s the best performances you’ll encounter in a movie this year. As for his sister, Carrey Mulligan displays something you’ve never seen form her before. She degrades herself down to portray a weak, vulnerable, dirty, lost soul that is drowning. It’s as raw as Fassbenders performance, but she is allowed the much more juicer scenes. It’s pretty clear she is one of the most interesting young actors today that isn’t afraid to do anything as long as she likes what she sees in the script. The two seemed all to perfectly cast and help create Shame into one of the best movies on 2011.
Shame received the horrifying NC-17 Rating that should have all but killed its chances of awards or the general public of seeing it, but thankfully Fox Searchlight boldly picked it up and distributed it uncut for all to see. It’s a powerful film about addiction in a form that we’ve never seen before. It’s a film that the general public won’t applaud, but the real movie fans will fall in love with. Do not the let opportunity to see this get past your grasp, you will regret it.
Overall Score: 10/10
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