Save your money for something good and enjoyable

Admirable film.

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

'Shame' is a sad movie that at the end doesn't give much hope. It raises some questions and it doesn't do it subtly. Everything it wants to tell us is perfectly shown on the surface. It is not meant to be very deep movie in that department, but it is thoughtful. Porn (and sex) addiction is much bigger problem than mainstream likes to acknowledge. It leads into depression and degradation of social behavior. Michael Fassbender's portrayal of Brandon fighting with it's inner demons, that cause him quite few shameful moments, is pleasantly calm and striking. His dysfunctional relationship with his sister Sissy (equally great performance by Carey Mulligan) is almost tragic. Two damaged people who need help, but don't know how to support each other. Unresponsible Sissy who can barely manage herself, and Brandon who's unable to let go of his addictions.'Shame' is very bleak view of someone's life spiraling down while they are perfectly aware of it, but in the end they do very little to escape.

This is Steve McQueen's best work in my personal view. This is a dark stylish film,using superb visual storytelling. The acting and lush cinematography drive this heartbreaking film for me. Highly recommend this film and defiantly would class it as one of the best films made in a long time.

Not the Ingmar Bergman classic of the same title, this contemporary British drama follows a young man who begins to reevaluate his obsession with sex and pornography when his sister moves in and begins to date his even more sexually depraved boss. In a performance consisting more of glances and stares than real dialogue, Michael Fassbender does well in the lead role as he wrestles with his conflicted emotions regarding his new home life. The title is especially interesting to consider along these regards; is the presence of his sister (and the knowledge of what his boss is doing with her) the very first thing in his life that has ever caused him to feel ashamed of his sexually active lifestyle? Intriguing as all this is, the film never tackles such ideas in much depth, not really exploring whether or not one should be ashamed of one's sexuality and/or the role of societal expectations in how open one is with one's sexuality. Much visible tension between Fassbender and Carey Mulligan (as his sister) sadly goes unexplored too with only the slightest hints of abusive childhoods and a possible incestuous past between them. And yet, with Fassbender in such good form with his longing stares (especially on the train near the end) conveying so much, this is an easy film to appreciate for the bits and pieces that do work. Harry Escott's moody music score is a particularly commendable touch.

Shame is one of two Steve McQueen films I've seen, the other being Hunger. I thoroughly enjoyed Hunger, so I decided to check out Shame. Shame is about a 30- something year old man named Brandon (Michael Fassbender) who is a sex addict, he calls up prostitutes, and watches porn all the time, even on his work computer. His sister Sissy (Carey Mulligan) comes to live with him for a while for she has no other place to live. Brandon and Sissy have a very contentious relationship, they don't get along too well and end up arguing all the time. There's not much in terms of a story, but that is the point of the film, this film is supposed to show the life of a sex addict and it does a pretty good job at it. The acting is very good, everyone delivers a strong performance, and the cinematography is excellent, the film itself looks absolutely gorgeous. Although the acting, dialogue, and cinematography are excellent, the movie just feels empty, when it ended, I was left wanting more, it felt like there was just something missing. I'm recommending Shame because it has great acting, great dialogue, and great cinematography, but the film overall feels empty and left me wanting more. 7/10.