Shame (2011)

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Overview

Brandon (Michael Fassbender)

Shame is a 2011 British drama film co-written and directed by Steve McQueen, and stars Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan as brother and sister. Brandon is a 30-something yuppie living in New York who is unable to manage his sex life. After his younger sister moves into his apartment, Brandon's world spirals out of control.

Creation

Director Steve McQueen worked with producer Iain Canning on his previous 2008 film, Hunger and reunited with Michael Fassbender who also was in that film. He was the first and only choice to play the lead role in Shame. Actors Carey Mulligan and James Badge Dale joined the cast in December 2010 to play the little sister and boss, respectively, of Fassbender's character.

Plot Summary

Brandon (Michael Fassbender) is a 30-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. Shame is a compelling and timely examination of the nature of need, how we live our lives and the experiences that shape us.

Production

Production company is UK/Australia-based See Saw Films.

Because of explicit sex scenes, the film has been labelled with a NC-17 rating, much like 2010's Blue Valentine.

McQueen (left), Mulligan, Fassbender (right)

While the film was shot in 25 days of New York, this was spread over the course of many months from January to May 2011 due to Fassbender's scenes in March and re-shoots.

Casting

Carrey Mulligan was interested to be cast in the film, but her sweet and innocent image from her previous roles worked against her chances with Steve McQueen. She noticed a resemblance of of how hardened the Sissy character in Shame was compared to a theatre play character, Nina, she played in The Seagull. So, Carrey told McQueen she'd get a tattoo, believing doing so would enhance her chances of winning the role.

Critical Response

The film has received generally favourable reviews, with a 78% Rotten Tomatoes score from 127 reviews. Roger Ebert of Chicago Sun Times commented: "this is a great act of filmmaking and acting. I don't believe I would be able to see it twice". Todd McCarthy of Hollywood Reporter said: "Driven by a brilliant, ferocious performance by Michael Fassbender, Shame is a real walk on the wild side, a scorching look at a case of sexual addiction that's as all-encompassing as a craving for drugs". Andrew O'Hehir of Salon.com commented on the atmosphere: "A visual and sonic symphony, and a Dante-esque journey through a New York nightworld where words are mostly useless or worse". Some critics were colder to it. Ben Sachs of Chicago Reader said: "This one simply recycles art-movie cliches about urban alienation and passionless sex", while Dana Stevens of Slate said: "This sleek-looking but curiously unfocused character study never quite gets down to the business of showing us who Brandon is, but boy, does Fassbender make him into a captivating enigma".