Dir: Steve McQueen
Starring: Michael
Fassbender, Carey Mulligan, James Badge Dale
The
award winning artist and filmmaker, Steven McQueen, follows up his impressive
debut Hunger with a film about sexual
addiction.
Brandon
lives a comfortable lifestyle in a high level position of a successful company
in New York. He is a handsome and charming man who woman are drawn to. He is
also a sex addict. His routine and life are shaken when his sister comes to
stay with him for a few days.
The
fantastic first scene firmly conveys Brandon’s character to the viewer. We
first meet Brandon as he lies in bed and we see his daily routine intercut with
an encounter on a subway train. Intercutting his mornings with a wordless
interaction with a woman on a subway train, the film conveys people’s attitude
and confliction with attraction and sex. Brandon stares at the woman who
eventually notices his looks and is flattered. We take his point of view as he
looks over her body. Over time we see the woman’s face change from mutual
attraction to a picture of guilt and shame as we see the wedding ring on her
finger. We see Brandon follow her, not deterred by the symbol of marriage, a
man who just wants to have sex with her. A sex addict looking for gratification
from a human being, no matter what the fallout.
The
film is a character study of a man living with a sexual addiction. It is wound
into every part of his life and is always on his mind. He masturbates, hires
prostitutes and uses pornography at home and at work. It is a realistic
depiction of a person living with a sex addiction. It is not sensationalised or
glamorised in any way. It is a part of his life that is worked into his
routine, a part that he lives with. Brandon is a normal successful man,
charming and kind and able to interact with people around him but part of his
life is consumed by his addiction to sex. He is ashamed of it but, like most
addicts, he is not able to overcome it, he can only live his life with it as
part of him. In a world where sex addiction can be seen as a funny thing,
something which a lot of people don’t see as real addiction, the film shows it
for what it really is. Something which cannot be controlled but which can
control lives; an addiction just as real as drug or alcohol addiction.
Michael
Fassbender, here working with Steve McQueen for the second time, puts in a
wonderful performance, showing why he is one of the best actors working today. Brandon
is a solitary man who keeps people at a distance, who isn’t able to sustain a
relationship over a couple of months, always looking for the next woman to have
sex with. In a brilliant scene we see him having a threesome, a typical male fantasy,
and we watch as Brandon’s face turns into one of guilt and sadness at what he
is. His relationship with Sissy, played well by Carey Mulligan, is a strained
one. There are details to it and their past which are never explained but they
do not have to be. They share a love for one another but they cannot be with
each other. They are two different personalities which clash. Michael and Carey’s
scenes play out with an undercurrent of unease as playful interactions can
become aggressive. Sissy turns up and upsets Brandon’s routine and his life
becomes even more strained, in danger of breaking the balance he has created.
The film is wonderfully directed and
shot with several scenes consisting of one take which lasts over several
minutes which are uncomfortable but exhilarating and illuminating. The score
adds and lifts the film, working in harmony with the visuals and often bringing
the scenes to an emotional and powerful crescendo.
Steven McQueen has created
another great film with another great performance from Fassbender. It may be
uncomfortable at times but it is always powerful and emotive. An engaging
and fascinating look at an important topic which is too often overlooked. A
brilliant character study that will stay with you long after you’ve left the
cinema.
5 out of 5 Buttons
(Note: this was seen
at an advanced preview with an interesting and informative Q & A with the
director. Shame will be out in
January 2012.)
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