shame movie reviews

Advertisement

Supported by

Movie Review | 'Shame'

Only One Thing on His Mind

• Share full article

By A.O. Scott

• Dec. 1, 2011

The cruel paradox of addiction is that it transforms a source of pleasure into an inescapable, insatiable need. An abundance — an overdose — of movies and books explores the logic of this condition, mostly with respect to drugs or alcohol. “Shame,” the relentless new feature from the British artist turned filmmaker Steve McQueen , has a lot in common with films that plumb the toxic romance of the bottle or the needle. The crucial difference is that its protagonist, a handsome, youngish Manhattanite named Brandon (Michael Fassbender), is hooked on sex.

This poses a special challenge for Mr. McQueen, since there are rules, conventions and cognitive habits that limit how explicit — and how explicitly unpleasant — movie sex can be. Watching someone else take a drink or snort a line will not cause intoxication in the viewer, but watching other people get naked and squirm around together is a sure-enough turn-on to be the basis of a lucrative industry. How can visual pleasure communicate existential misery? It is a real and interesting challenge, and if “Shame” falls short of meeting it, the seriousness of its effort is hard to deny.

Mr. McQueen does not take the easy route of selecting for his case study a lonely, unattractive shut-in, but rather a very good-looking, admirably proportioned fellow with nice clothes (when he is in them), decent manners and a well-paying job. Brandon, who works at a small high-tech firm and lives in an austere apartment in a Chelsea high-rise, seems to be stuck in a sleek, downbeat 21st-century version of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 129 . That poem, as incisive an anatomy of erotic compulsion as exists in English, begins by evoking “the expense of spirit in a waste of shame” and cycles through the rages and frustrations of lust before collapsing in exhausted fatalism:

All this the world well knows; yet none knows well

to shun the heaven that leads men to this hell.

“Shame,” anchored to the treadmill of Brandon’s pathology, strips this ancient, futile wisdom of its poetry. Mr. McQueen is a tenaciously literal filmmaker, mistrusting metaphor and psychological speculation and dwelling on the facts of behavior and bodily experience. His debut feature, “Hunger,” in which Mr. Fassbender played Bobby Sands, the I.R.A. militant who starved himself to death in a British-administered prison in 1981, was an unflinching look at the corporeal consequences of political zeal. It focused less on the nature of Sands’s cause than on the effects, on his own person, of his commitment to it.

And the most memorable aspect of that film may have been Mr. Fassbender’s commitment to the role, a discipline he re-enacts here in circumstances that are only superficially more pleasant. A prisoner of his own needs, Brandon — to use a curiously apt Victorian phrase — abuses himself mercilessly. When he cannot manage a casual encounter, he calls an escort service, and when that is inconvenient, there is always an Internet chat site or the men’s room at work, where he sneaks off for solitary daytime activity.

His routine is disrupted by the arrival of his sister, Sissy (Carey Mulligan), whose neediness is the opposite of Brandon’s emotional detachment and whose sloppiness threatens his self-control. Her history of self-abuse apparently includes cutting and possible suicide attempts, and her intrusive dependency provokes Brandon to frightening and otherwise uncharacteristically violent displays of temper.

Different as they are, these siblings clearly share a self-destructive tendency, the sources of which lie somewhere in the background, beyond the reach of the film’s curiosity. “We’re not bad people,” Sissy says in a teary message she leaves on Brandon’s cellphone. “We just come from a bad place,” a place specified only as New Jersey.

The New York they find themselves in is a melancholy and seductive place, where easy money and relaxed sexual mores combine to produce an atmosphere of general anomie brightened by a few glimmers of comic possibility. In one brilliantly executed early scene, Brandon stands by as his boss (James Badge Dale), a boorish would-be ladies’ man, fails spectacularly to pick up a pretty blonde at a bar. Brandon succeeds without making an overt move or saying very much, and Mr. McQueen’s deft choreography of eye contact reveals everything we need to know about the workings of desire.

More awkward, but much funnier, is a dinner date at which Brandon and Marianne (Nicole Beharie), a co-worker, are subjected to the attentions of an aggressively incompetent waiter and also to their own uncertainty about the rules of attraction. But these moments feel less like insights into human interaction than like concessions to an idea of social life that Mr. McQueen does not quite believe in.

More problematic is his reliance on moments of showy cinematic beauty — a long nighttime tracking shot, a Hudson River sunset seen from a high window in the Standard Hotel — that serve at once to alleviate the film’s harshness and undermine its rigor. And the impulse to explore Brandon’s problem in some kind of narrative leaves “Shame” caught between therapeutic melodrama and melodramatic despair. The climax is, for Brandon, a chaotic downward slide that blends provocation with a scolding, breathless moralism. How far will he go? He’ll have sex with a man! With two women!

Is “Shame” the name of something Brandon does feel, or of something the filmmakers think he should feel? The movie, for all its displays of honesty (which is to say nudity), is also curiously coy. It presents Brandon for our titillation, our disapproval and perhaps our envy, but denies him access to our sympathy. I know, that’s the point, that Mr. McQueen wants to show how the intensity of Brandon’s need shuts him off from real intimacy, but this seems to be a foregone conclusion, the result of an elegant experiment that was rigged from the start.

“Shame” is rated NC-17 (No one 17 or under admitted). Younger viewers will have to go elsewhere to learn that sex can sometimes be fun.

Opens on Friday in Manhattan.

Directed by Steve McQueen ; written by Mr. McQueen and Abi Morgan; director of photography, Sean Bobbitt; edited by Joe Walker; music by Harry Escott; production design by Judy Becker; costumes by David Robinson; produced by Iain Canning and Emile Sherman; released by Fox Searchlight Pictures. Running time: 1 hour 39 minutes.

WITH: Michael Fassbender (Brandon), Carey Mulligan (Sissy), James Badge Dale (David) and Nicole Beharie (Marianne).

Shame: Opens on Friday in Manhattan. Directed by Steve McQueen; written by Mr. McQueen and Abi Morgan; director of photography, Sean Bobbitt; edited by Joe Walker; music by Harry Escott; production design by Judy Becker; costumes by David Robinson; produced by Iain Canning and Emile Sherman; released by Fox Searchlight Pictures. Running time: 1 hour 39 minutes. WITH: Michael Fassbender (Brandon), Carey Mulligan (Sissy), James Badge Dale (David) and Nicole Beharie (Marianne).

• Trending on RT

Critics Consensus

Critics consensus: shame is certified fresh, plus, outrage is a thrilling crime story..

TAGGED AS: Certified Fresh

This week at the movies brings no new wide releases, but we’ve still got some strong limiteds, including Shame , starring Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan , and Takeshi Kitano ‘s Outrage . What do the critics have to say?

Critics say Shame is an intense, beautifully crafted portrait of a profoundly damaged soul, often painful but powerfully acted. Shame stars Michael Fassbender as a sex addict whose inner demons threaten to spiral out of control when his troubled younger sister (Carey Mulligan) moves into his apartment, bringing her resentments with her. The pundits say the Certified Fresh Shame isn’t always easy to watch, but it’s visually stunning and features terrific performances from its leads. (Check out this week’s Total Recall, in which we run down other memorable NC-17 movies , as well as our interview with director Steve McQueen .)

Also opening this week in limited release:

Takeshi Kitano ‘s Outrage , a thriller about rival yakuza clans battling for power within the Tokyo underworld, is at 93 percent.

Khodorkovsky , a documentary about the Russian billionaire whose politics may have landed him in prison, is at 89 percent.

Force of Nature: The David Suzuki Movie , a doc about the venerable Canadian TV nature show host, is at 80 percent.

Sleeping Beauty , starring Emily Browning as a college student who finds herself in the midst of a strange escort service, is at 48 percent.

Answers to Nothing , starring Dane Cook and Barbara Hershey in a drama about a group of disparate Los Angeles residents connected by the disappearance of a child, is at zero percent.

And don’t forget, six of last week’s releases — The Muppets , Arthur Christmas , Hugo , The Artist , My Week with Marilyn , and A Dangerous Method — are Certified Fresh .

Related News

The Boys Cast Gets Certified Fresh at Comic-Con with Rotten Tomatoes

94 Best Boxing Movies Of All Time

64 Certified Fresh Japanese Movies

More Critics Consensus

Eternals Is Underpowered

Venom: Let There Be Carnage Leans Hard Into the Ridiculous

Dear Evan Hansen Misses the High Note

Movie & TV News

Featured on rt.

Renewed and Cancelled TV Shows 2024

September 27, 2024

All Stephen King TV Series and Miniseries Ranked

All 47 DreamWorks Animation Movies Ranked by Tomatometer

64 Stephen King Movies Ranked by Tomatometer

Top Headlines

• All Stephen King TV Series and Miniseries Ranked –
• All 47 DreamWorks Animation Movies Ranked by Tomatometer –
• 64 Stephen King Movies Ranked by Tomatometer –
• All Saturday Night Live Movies Ranked –
• The 100 Best Horror Movies of the 1970s –
• 100 Best Movies on Disney Plus (September 2024) –

Michael Fassbender, Carey Mulligan, James Badge Dale, Lucy Walters Steve McQueen Abi Morgan, Steve McQueen Rated NC-17 101 Mins. Fox Searchlight

a second time. It was upon my second viewing of the film, after I'd had a short while to process the experience, that I finally came to terms with the film's mind-blowing impact on my own psyche'. My first viewing of the film left me feeling oddly detached and even apathetic about the film and its characters despite extraordinary performances from Michael Fassbender, who gives a performance worthy of an Oscar nomination, and Carey Mulligan, who does the same. It was in the middle of my second viewing that it occurred to me that the uncomfortable detachment and apathy was, in fact, because I was so deeply immersed in Fassbender's character, Brandon, a sex addict whose every moment is consumed by the pursuit of sex but for whom the act means quite literally nothing emotionally or even physically. Sex is Brandon's compulsion, his only way of existing in a life stripped of all its joy and of all its purpose. When his sister Sissy (Mulligan) shows up at his apartment needing a place to crash for a few days, it throws his life into complete disarray and further into a downward spiral as her histrionic, emotionally needy existence plays bumper cars with his emotionally claustrophobic lifestyle. is the kind of film you exit either completely blown away or utterly repulsed but, in most cases, feeling like you couldn't possibly go through the experience again. That's a pity, really, because it could very well have been a factor in the lack of Oscar recognition for the incredibly well done film. While I don't necessarily feel compelled to bash the Academy's nominees for Best Actor, and was pleasantly surprised by Demian Bichir's, it's a travesty that Fassbender is not considered to be among the top five actors in 2011. Director Steve McQueen wisely strips the film bare, aided by Abi Morgan's barebones script that provides little in the way of backstory for the key players here and little in the way of distracting side stories. Morgan, who also penned this year's almost doc like which did snag an Oscar nomination for lead Meryl Streep, has constructed here a remarkably focused and painfully honest look at sexual addiction that would likely turn Fassbender into a household name if not for the film's NC-17 rating largely owing to Fassbender's full frontal nudity. But, really. There's no possible way this film could have been made without the full frontal nudity, a choice that can sometimes feel manipulative and exploitative but one which feels absolutely essential here. The same is true for Carey Mulligan, a critically acclaimed actress who exposes all here but does so with such stunning vulnerability and almost a lack of presence that it's acting in itself. also proves that Mulligan is quite the singer, turning a rendition of Kander and Ebb's "New York, New York" into an unforgettable, beautifully paced and realized unfolding revelation of her character. The chemistry between Fassbender and Mulligan is uncomfortably amazing, one emotionally shut down and one completely unable to emotionally shut down. It's impossible to not wonder exactly what unfolded earlier in their lives, but Morgan and McQueen never spill the beans. While is a two-character tour-de-force, there are other plays who leave a strong impact including James Badge Dale, who plays the boss who has to reveal to Brandon that his work computer has been confiscated due to the discovery of excessive porn usage. Lucy Walters and Nicole Beharie also have exceptional moments. But, is all about Brandon and Sissy. D.P. Sean Bobbitt shoots the film simply yet authentically, often lingering on faces, bodies and empty spaces as if drawing a parallel between them all. There have been few films in the past year where the writer, director, cast and cinematographer have seemed to so clearly be on the same page. is a mesmerizing, unforgettable film yet one that will leave you so emotionally strung out by film's end that you will likely think twice before ever sitting down to watch it again. But, perhaps, it will be much like sex for Brandon...an unavoidable compulsion that keeps calling you back no matter how hard you try.

The Definitive Voice of Entertainment News

Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter

site categories

‘shame’: what the critics are saying.

Steve McQueen's erotic drama garnered praise for star Michael Fassbender's haunting performance as a sex addict.

By THR Staff

• Share on Facebook
• Share to Flipboard
• Send an Email
• Show additional share options
• Share on LinkedIn
• Share on Pinterest
• Share on Reddit
• Share on Tumblr
• Share on Whats App
• Print the Article
• Post a Comment

Shame Laptop Film Still - H 2011

Fox Searchlight’s drama, Shame , was getting plenty of buzz even before it opened in theaters on Friday, December 2, due to its controversial subject matter following a sex addict in New York City and its subsequent NC-17 rating.

The film is directed by Steve McQueen who teamed up with the star of his 2008 film Hunger, Michael Fassbender . Fassbender’s performance as sex addict Brandon was praised by many critics. Carey Mulligan also stars in the film as Brandon’s sister who comes to town and disrupts his lifestyle.

PHOTOS: The Dirty Dozen — Films that Narrowly Avoided an NC-17

McQueen’s (who is featured in THR ‘s director roundtable ) erotic drama premiered at the Venice Film Festival, where Fassbender won the Best Actor award. Because of the highly sexual content of the film, including scenes of full frontal nudity from both Fassbender and Mulligan, the film received an NC-17 rating. Searchlight did not appeal the rating or make any cuts to secure an R-rating. Instead, it’s readying a major awards push for the film.

Overall, the critics heaped on praise for McQueen’s hypnotizing film and Fassbender’s stunning performance.

STORY: Nudity, Three-Ways, Hints of Incest: A Studio’s Plan to Sell ‘Shame’ to Oscar

“ 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,” wrote The Hollywood Reporter ’s Todd McCarthy.

McCarthy also praised Fassbender’s “brilliant, ferocious” performance. “It’s amazing that it has taken him this long to be fully recognized, as he’s got it all: Looks, authority, physicality, command of the screen, great vocal articulation, a certain chameleon quality and the ability to suggest a great deal within while maintaining outward composure, just for starters,” added McCarthy.

THR’s Directors Roundtable: How to Fire People, Who to Steal From, and Amy Pascal’s Secret Advice

“Sexually graphic enough to earn its NC-17 rating yet made with a restraint that’s both unflinching and unnerving, this is a psychologically claustrophobic film that strips its characters bare literally and figuratively, leaving them, and us, nowhere to hide,” wrote Kenneth Turan of The Los Angeles Times.

“It is Mulligan and most especially Fassbender that give the film its power,” adds Turan. “The desperation, hostility and despair he conveys through the act of sex make Shame a film that is difficult to watch but even harder to turn away from.”

VIDEO: ‘Shame’ Red Band Trailer: Michael Fassbender Brings Sex to the Subway

“In a movie era remarkable for its reluctance to dramatize erotic intimacy, Shame merits praise for the dark energy of its sexual encounters,” wrote Time ’s Richard Corliss.

“What’s really off-putting about Brandon’s trysts is their bleakness,” added Corliss. “Filmed in elegant, unrelenting long takes with very few traditional reaction shots, Shame unspools like a documentary on the rutting of feral animals.”

“How can visual pleasure communicate existential misery? It is a real and interesting challenge, and if “Shame” falls short of meeting it, the seriousness of its effort is hard to deny,” wrote A.O. Scott of The New York Times.

STORY: Year of the Hunk: How George Clooney, Michael Fassbender Could Save the Oscars

“The movie, for all its displays of honesty (which is to say nudity), is also curiously coy. It presents Brandon for our titillation, our disapproval and perhaps our envy, but denies him access to our sympathy,” continued Scott.

“Fassbender’s performance here is riveting, haunting. He immerses himself and makes you feel as if you’re truly watching a man hell-bent on exorcising his demons through compulsive self-destruction,” wrote The AP ’s Christy Lemire.

Lemire, however, did have problems with the latter part of the film, writing that Fassbender’s character’s “descent has its shocking moments but it ultimately feels tedious and self-indulgent, which turns “Shame” into a cross between American Psycho and Eyes Wide Shut. The cool precision of the film’s earlier scenes gives way to melodrama and leaves you feeling pummeled. Perhaps that was the point, but it’s off-putting.”

Related Stories

Shame: film review, 'shame' officially rated nc-17, thr's directors roundtable: how to fire people, who to steal from, and amy pascal's secret advice, thr's awards season roundtable series 2011: the directors, 'shame' red band trailer: michael fassbender brings sex to the subway (video), thr newsletters.

Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day

More from The Hollywood Reporter

Paul feig partly blames trump for all-female ‘ghostbusters’ hate: “everybody went f***ing cannibal”, ‘afternoons of solitude’ review: albert serra’s meditative bullfighting doc is equal parts hypnotic and distressing, ‘apartment 7a’ director natalie erika james on the challenges of making a ‘rosemary’s baby’ prequel, albert serra’s bullfighting doc ‘afternoons of solitude’ wins san sebastian’s golden shell, andrew garfield charms san sebastian as ‘we live in time’ wraps up film festival, andrew garfield is back: ‘we live in time’ star talks returning to spotlight, his own grief and who he wants to work with next: “where do i begin”.

SHAME Review

Your changes have been saved

Email is sent

Email has already been sent

Please verify your email address.

You’ve reached your account maximum for followed topics.

‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ Has Passed Blake Lively’s Sleeper Hit at the Box Office

‘beetlejuice beetlejuice’ is about to pass one of the biggest flops of the year at the international box office, the 10 most popular movies on netflix right now.

[ This is a reprint of my review from the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival.  Shame opens tomorrow in limited release. ]

Alcoholics are told they'll never find love in a bottle and drug addicts are told they'll never find happiness in a needle. But what about sex addicts whose compulsion precludes them from intimacy and love? Steve McQueen 's Shame delves deep into the life of a sex addict and with laser-like focus examines the pain and torment that can drive such a person away from heartfelt interactions and towards self-destruction. McQueen's inspired and confident direction coupled with a heart-breaking performance from star Michael Fassbender makes Shame far more than a PSA or a righteous condemnation. McQueen and Fassbender make Shame a devastating powerhouse.

Brandon (Fassbender) is a sex addict who has closed off his life from any emotional contact. He wakes up naked and strolls around his apartment because there's no one to cover up for, no one to impress. He feeds his sex addiction with hookers, random pick-ups, masturbating in the restroom at work, a steady stream of porn, and hides it all under a cool, calm veneer. His tranquil downward slide is accelerated by the arrival of his ne'er-do-well sister, Sissy ( Carey Mulligan ). Sissy is Brandon's inverse. She's overly emotional, feels everything deeply, and voices her need for comfort. They're equally messed up, share the same loneliness, but while Sissy has no problem crying for help, Fassbender runs away from any intimacy, especially from his only family and the one woman he'll never want to sleep with. As Shame unfolds, Brandon's failed attempts to connect with other people only send him deeper into his own pain and anguish.

Coupled with his debut film Hunger , McQueen demonstrates that he may be one of the smartest directors working today. He once again takes advantage of long, uninterrupted takes that provide his actors with the room to give full, rich performances, but the direction is never stage-y. McQueen always frames his shot perfectly for maximum effect. I was taken in by the subtle power of how the frame almost always keeping Brandon to the far right of the screen. This oft-repeated shot keeps the character trapped, isolated, and unable to cross over and connect with anyone else. It's a beautiful visual metaphor that never feels heavy-handed.

Just as he can create beautiful tracking shots and exquisite framing, McQueen also knows how to be unrelentingly harsh. There's a horrific claustrophobia to Brandon's world. He's cruelly taunted every time he sees a woman that he can fuck but never love. When McQueen opens the film showing Fassbender's full-frontal nudity or a nude shot of Mulligan or any of the film's countless sex acts, it's not to titillate but to drive us into Brandon's mindset. McQueen forces us to live in a world where sex is completely joyless. Any director who can take copious amounts of sex between attractive people and make it completely unappealing without being overtly disgusting is some kind of mad genius.

The other mad genius of Shame is Fassbender. He has already given three outstanding performances this year with Jane Eyre , X-Men: First Class , and A Dangerous Method , but Shame is his best. Fassbender brings ugliness to charm, anguish to intimacy, and a devastating range of emotions that show a man who clearly can't even remember the last time he was happy and is clinging to what remains of his corroded soul. On the surface, Brandon shouldn't be a pitiable character. He's handsome, wealthy, and gets to have sex with beautiful women. But through Fassbender, we feel every moment of Brandon's torment.

Fassbender and McQueen are the major stars of Shame but I would be remiss if I didn't mention Mulligan. She has to stand as Brandon's mirror, convey just as much suffering, and has less screen-time to do it. Mulligan rises to the occasion and her performance is even better than her acclaimed breakthrough role in An Education . Sissy is a singer and I don't know if its Mulligan's voice in the character's performance of "New York, New York" but it's a scene that will absolutely break your heart.

Shame is not an easy film. It's not a film you "enjoy". It puts you in a choke-hole and then forces you down further and further into the depths of one man's pain. There's no humor, no relief, and it's not a film you want to watch again immediately after seeing it. But you respect every moment.

• Entertainment

Common Sense Media

Movie & TV reviews for parents

• For Parents
• For Educators
• Our Work and Impact

Or browse by category:

• Movie Reviews
• Best Movie Lists
• Best Movies on Netflix, Disney+, and More

Common Sense Selections for Movies

50 Modern Movies All Kids Should Watch Before They're 12

• Best TV Lists
• Best TV Shows on Netflix, Disney+, and More
• Common Sense Selections for TV
• Video Reviews of TV Shows

Best Kids' Shows on Disney+

Best Kids' TV Shows on Netflix

• Book Reviews
• Best Book Lists
• Common Sense Selections for Books

8 Tips for Getting Kids Hooked on Books

50 Books All Kids Should Read Before They're 12

• Game Reviews
• Best Game Lists

Common Sense Selections for Games

• Video Reviews of Games

Nintendo Switch Games for Family Fun

• Podcast Reviews
• Best Podcast Lists

Common Sense Selections for Podcasts

Parents' Guide to Podcasts

• App Reviews
• Best App Lists

Social Networking for Teens

Gun-Free Action Game Apps

Reviews for AI Apps and Tools

• YouTube Channel Reviews
• YouTube Kids Channels by Topic

Parents' Ultimate Guide to YouTube Kids

YouTube Kids Channels for Gamers

• Preschoolers (2-4)
• Little Kids (5-7)
• Big Kids (8-9)
• Pre-Teens (10-12)
• Teens (13+)
• Screen Time
• Social Media
• Online Safety
• Identity and Community

Why Your Kid Should Read Banned Books

• Family Tech Planners
• Digital Skills
• All Articles
• Latino Culture
• Black Voices
• Asian Stories
• Native Narratives
• LGBTQ+ Pride
• Best of Diverse Representation List

Multicultural Books

YouTube Channels with Diverse Representations

Podcasts with Diverse Characters and Stories

Parents' guide to.

• Common Sense Says
• Parents Say 11 Reviews
• Kids Say 5 Reviews

Common Sense Media Review

Powerful drama about sex addiction is NOT for kids.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that the NC-17-rated Shame is all about sex addiction, and the movie is filled with nudity, destructive sexual behavior, strong simulated sex scenes, and innuendo. Some of the sex scenes play out a big roughly; there's also violence in the form of a bar fight (not entirely shown)…

Why Age 18+?

Both male and female full-frontal nudity. Several graphic sex scenes, with thrus

Frequent use of strong words including "f--k," "screw," "s--t," "t-ts," "d--k,"

Characters seem to drink just about every night in bars, restaurants, and at hom

A character attempts suicide and is seen covered in blood. The main character ge

Characters are seen drinking Red Bull more than once. A container of Trader Joe'

Any Positive Content?

The movie is mainly about sexual addiction and stays intently focused on that pa

The main character has a sexual addiction. As a result, he acts selfishly and tr

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Both male and female full-frontal nudity. Several graphic sex scenes, with thrusting, sound effects, and nudity, though much of the actual sex occurs off-screen and is mainly suggested. Some of the sex scenes play out roughly and with a kind of simmering anger. The main character has several partners, including prostitutes, women he picks up, and a man in a gay sex club. He watches porn on his computer (pornographic images are briefly shown) and compulsively masturbates. A secondary, married character cheats on his wife. Very strong sexual innuendo.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Frequent use of strong words including "f--k," "screw," "s--t," "t-ts," "d--k," "p---y," "a--hole," "bitch," "hell," "oh my God" (as an exclamation), and more.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Characters seem to drink just about every night in bars, restaurants, and at home. The main character enjoys martinis, wine, and beer. Only the secondary characters appear to get drunk. The main character snorts cocaine in one scene.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Violence & Scariness

A character attempts suicide and is seen covered in blood. The main character gets into a fistfight in a bar after trying to pick up someone else's girlfriend. The fight itself isn't really shown, but the character's face is bloodied afterward.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Characters are seen drinking Red Bull more than once. A container of Trader Joe's orange juice is visible.

Positive Messages

The movie is mainly about sexual addiction and stays intently focused on that particular world. Although the main character begins to realize that he has a problem and takes baby steps toward solving it, the ending remains ambiguous.

Positive Role Models

The main character has a sexual addiction. As a result, he acts selfishly and treats others without care or respect. He does seem to realize that he has a problem, but he doesn't ask for help.

Parents need to know that the NC-17-rated Shame is all about sex addiction, and the movie is filled with nudity, destructive sexual behavior, strong simulated sex scenes, and innuendo. Some of the sex scenes play out a big roughly; there's also violence in the form of a bar fight (not entirely shown) and a bloody suicide attempt. Expect pretty frequent swearing (including "f--k" and "s--t"), plenty of drinking, and one scene in which the main character snorts cocaine. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

Parent and Kid Reviews

• Parents say (11)
• Kids say (5)

Based on 11 parent reviews

Heart wrenching, lonely and painful

What's the story.

Brandon Sullivan ( Michael Fassbender ) has a problem. He can't seem to control his addiction to sex. Women throw themselves at him, and he sleeps with him. He hires prostitutes, watches porn on his computer (even at work), and masturbates compulsively. He tries to keep this life secret, but things get complicated when Brandon upsets his boss' plans to pick up a girl in a bar. The boss also discovers a cache of porn on Brandon's computer hard drive. At the same time, Brandon's sister ( Carey Mulligan ) arrives and asks to stay with him. This new situation, coupled with Brandon's shame and self-loathing, leads to many sibling arguments. Can she help, or will Brandon need to hit rock bottom first?

Is It Any Good?

Despite SHAME's graphic content, director Steve McQueen (who also directed 2008's Hunger ) presents the material in a respectful, artistic manner, favoring long takes and spare dialogue. This quiet, moody film focuses more on character behavior than plot or a conclusion. Rather than a stern treatise on the dangers of sexual addiction, McQueen's approach allows viewers to enter into the situation at their own pace and find their own emotional connection.

While the movie's erotic content stands out, McQueen creates many other, memorable scenes, such as Brandon weeping at his sister sings a slow, moving rendition of "New York, New York" in a nightclub, or a mesmerizing scene in which Brandon jogs down the streets of New York for long minutes, drowning out the noise with Glenn Gould on his headphones and trying to re-focus himself. In the two lead roles, Fassbender and Mulligan tread dangerous territory, and both succeed admirably.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about the movie's sexual content. What is sex addiction? Can it be treated? What are the real-life consequences of this kind of problem?

Parents, talk to your teens about your own values regarding relationships and sex, particularly when it comes to staying safe.

Where and how does the title Shame come into play?

Movie Details

• In theaters : December 2, 2011
• On DVD or streaming : April 17, 2012
• Cast : Carey Mulligan , James Badge Dale , Michael Fassbender
• Director : Steve McQueen
• Inclusion Information : Black directors, Female actors
• Studio : Fox Searchlight
• Genre : Drama
• Run time : 101 minutes
• MPAA rating : NC-17
• MPAA explanation : some explicit sexual content
• Last updated : April 25, 2024

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Suggest an Update

What to watch next.

Rachel Getting Married

Pieces of April

Drama movies that tug at the heartstrings.

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

• Cast & crew
• User reviews

A sex addict's carefully cultivated private life falls apart after his sister arrives for an indefinite stay. A sex addict's carefully cultivated private life falls apart after his sister arrives for an indefinite stay. A sex addict's carefully cultivated private life falls apart after his sister arrives for an indefinite stay.

• Steve McQueen
• Michael Fassbender
• Carey Mulligan
• James Badge Dale
• 511 User reviews
• 490 Critic reviews
• 72 Metascore
• 50 wins & 94 nominations total

Top cast 29

• Woman on Subway Train

• Cocktail Waitress

• Live Chat Woman
• (as Charisse Merman)

• Hotel Lover

• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

More like this

Did you know

• Trivia The first time Michael Fassbender saw the film was with his father Josef. Both were relieved that his mother Adele could not make the screening.
• Goofs When Brandon is on the subway looking at the woman we see Fulton behind him on the wall of the subway tunnel. The train moves and a few minutes have passed. Next, when the woman exists the train and he follows her, we see that they are again at Fulton station.

Sissy Sullivan : We're not bad people. We just come from a bad place.

• Crazy credits No opening credits apart from the movie's title.
• Connections Featured in At the Movies: Venice Film Festival 2011 (2011)
• Soundtracks Aria from the Goldberg Variations Written by Johann Sebastian Bach Performed by Glenn Gould Courtesy of Sony Masterworks and the Glenn Gould Estate Licensed by Sony Music Entertainment UK Ltd

User reviews 511

• beatlefan842000
• Dec 24, 2011
• January 13, 2012 (United Kingdom)
• United Kingdom
• Official Facebook
• Official site
• Shame: deseos culpables
• 28th Street Subway Station, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
• UK Film Council
• Lipsync Productions
• See more company credits at IMDbPro
• $6,500,000 (estimated)
• Dec 4, 2011
• $19,126,823

Technical specs

• Runtime 1 hour 41 minutes
• Dolby Digital

Related news

Contribute to this page.

• See more gaps
• Learn more about contributing

More to explore

Recently viewed.

• Skip to main content
• Keyboard shortcuts for audio player

'Shame' Is Hard To Watch But You Can't Turn Away

Kenneth Turan

A new film called Shame arrives in theaters with several honors, including the best actor award from the Venice Film Festival. It also arrives with a rare NC-17 rating. Michael Fassbender plays Brandon, a New Yorker who's addicted to sex.

Related NPR Stories

Movie reviews, lives of paralyzing 'shame,' for reasons unexplained.

Copyright © 2011 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

9 Reasons Why “Shame” is a Modern Masterpiece

Steve McQueen’s “Shame” is a film one can rarely encounter. The director is also a visual artist, which obviously has an immense impact on his visual and narrative style. “Shame” is his second film, following his debut film “Hunger” which doesn’t shy away from showing the brutality and violence inflicted upon an individual, in a way that is straightforward but impartial. “Shame”, on the other hand, presents us a narrative of destructiveness the individual suffers due to his own acts and that very self-destructiveness is rooted in the condition the main character is in.

The film deals with sexual addiction intertwining this subject with its effects on family bonds, the character’s relationship to his environment, and himself. It poses questions about the nature of relationships in contemporary times in general, and even questions the time we live in in general terms. It presents all of this without shame, completely strips the individual to his bare essence, twists it into something almost unrecognizable yet oddly familiar.

McQueen shows us the individual stripped down to his most basic needs and instincts, helpless but combative. He is aggressive toward his environment, but nervous about himself and almost terrified when confronted with a need to connect with others on any level.

The brilliance of “Shame” is that it portrays all of that sincerely and without masks and false pretenses. McQueen doesn’t try to “sell” us any viewpoints; he just presents the individual as he is, and the final “judgment” rests with the viewer. Yet one may be compelled not to make it, since the complexity of the character and his sufferings is multidimensional and tends to “evade” facile conclusions.

1. Michael Fassbender’s unvarnished performance

After Marlon Brando was done with filming “Last Tango In Paris”, he said that the whole experience made him feel raped. In a scene, Brando tells a story of his childhood which was deeply personal to him; Brandon, on a date with Marianne, tells her that he is from Ireland, the same country Fassbender is from.

Fassbender’s role is no less demanding: to present a character stripped down to the core, his instincts and primordial desires, suffering and despair, he has to lay himself bare – and he completely succeeds. The film starts with Brandon lying naked on a bed, presumably waking up; it is a position in which one is vulnerable. The next scene shows him in a bathroom with the door open.

The tone of the the film is set from the very beginning; we expect to meet Brandon in his most vulnerable and personal affectations, feelings and desires. We get that and much more; the laying bare of a character in front of the audience is nothing new in cinema, but the performance Fassbender gives takes it on a whole new level; it is acted completely naturally and all masks are falling, leaving nothing hidden from the viewer.

2. Unrestrained sexual desire and suffering

In his work, Arthur Schopenhauer came to the conclusion that emotional, physical and sexual desires cause suffering and can never be fulfilled. Suffering is our “positive” state from which we escape only momentarily, only to be caught again into the circle of desire and suffering. This notion cannot be more true for Brandon, since he suffers without sex and as soon as his desires are fulfilled. He cannot escape this circle of suffering he is cast into, he can only live by its malicious laws.

For Brandon, there is no prospect of liberation from his sufferings, since he denies the possibility of commitment, as the dialogue over a dinner table strongly implies. The everlasting ravaging desire and the need to try to fulfill it reminds of Dante’s “Inferno”; with each step Brandon is falling deeper and deeper into the never-ending torture, although he’s trying to escape it by throwing away his laptop and pornography.

The scene in which he has sex with two women shows his intensified suffering and almost a lack of pleasure; this scene can be juxtaposed to the beaten face of Bobby Sands in “Hunger”, also played by Fassbender. Both of them, for completely different reasons, suffer the same despair and anguish. Suffering inflicted upon ourselves as a result of unsatisfied desires can be even more cruel than the suffering others inflict; our drives and urges, as Schopenhauer thought, are the main reason for our misfortune and constant anguish.

3. The music

The music in the film is rather timid, but in the most important and dramatic moments it enhances the feeling of anticipation and a sense that what we are about to see leads to more suffering from the main character and he can hardly escape it. The constant ticking while the music plays enhances the feeling of anticipation and uneasiness. The music was made by Henry Escott; the low strings create a somber and almost solemn atmosphere.

His music plays while Brandon is on a train and is observing a woman across him, while she is smiling, obviously aroused as well. The music makes us feel the tension which is almost overwhelming. Brandon is listening to Glenn Gould’s piano music on the earphones, searching for calmness and composure in music which he cannot find in his daily life. This calmness is much needed as a brief relief after observing a tortured character.

Blondie’s “Rapture” plays in the club where an atmosphere of easiness prevails, contrasted to Brandon’s uneasiness. In a very emotional scene, in which Brandon himself drops a tear, his sister is singing Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York”; she appears vulnerable and shy and her performance is beautiful and straightforward in its sensitivity.

4. A study in loneliness

Brandon is alone, as his sister reminds him: “You don’t have anybody.” He engages in sexual encounters with prostitutes or women he meets, but he is utterly and completely alone. His reservation in the company of other people and his nervous laughter on a date show that he is not accustomed to sharing his experience; he cannot do that since his condition is not socially acceptable.

His loneliness is not only grounded in the condition he is in, but also in his need to be self-dependent; he gets a “chance” to make a connection with Marianne, but when they are about to have sex, he escapes commitment and has sex with another woman with whom he is not connected at all. When his sister enters his life, there is a shortage of laughter and meaningful conversations; all he is trying to do is to keep her as far away from him as possible. Being alone is his “modus vivendi”, the one he does not wish, or cannot overcome.

Shame Review

13 Jan 2012

101 minutes

A film about sex addiction from the team that made the IRA strike drama Hunger was never likely to be a frothy, titillating romp, and the film Steve McQueen has made — co-written with playwright Abi Morgan — is every bit as intellectually austere as one might imagine. It is also recognisably from the same well; though it is set in the modern day, takes place in the US and is seemingly not in the least bit political, it is a film about free will and the age-old battle between body and soul. In Hunger, Bobby Sands’ soul won that battle, but Brandon in Shame is not so fortunate: he thinks he’s a hedonist when in fact he’s a slave, both to his body and its desperate, physical need for contact.

The film even begins as a horror film might, with an ominous orchestral score and Brandon on the subway, making eye contact with the woman opposite. First he smiles, and she smiles back, but his gaze never drops and she becomes nervous. Flirtation becomes pursuit, with Brandon’s eyes narrowing, the smile losing its good humour, the body language turning predatory as the woman, now flustered, leaves, trying to lose him in the crowd. She does, and the whole film is here in microcosm: when he realises he’s lost her, Brandon’s bravado melts into child-like disappointment. What will he do now? From the start, the mask is slipping.

For a character study of such depth and intimacy, it helps to have a leading man who can rise to the challenge, and fortunately Shame’s intellectual rigours are leavened by a tour de force performance by the mighty Michael Fassbender. He gives Brandon depth and humanity; this is not, strictly speaking, a simple male-ego-in-crisis movie, even though it does play as a slightly more complex reworking of Alfie. Played by Fassbender, Brandon is a regular guy, albeit someone who keeps his mental wounds hidden from the world and maintains an admirable regime of denial.

That we can understand and believe in Brandon as a man on the verge of unravelling comes down to another remarkable performance, by Carey Mulligan as Sissy. It’s too small a role for her by far, but she works wonders with what she has. Seeing Sissy — theatrical, flaky, self-harming and self-

sabotaging — sets Brandon’s mind reeling. Are they the same? Deep down, he decides, they are, which is a realisation that is key to the eye-popping last act. It is not, however, a film without humour and warmth, provided respectively and in equal measure by James Badge Dale as Brandon’s boss and Nicole Beharie as his secretary, and it is these supporting players that give Shame its potency. The film lurches fatally into melodrama in its closing minutes, but although it adds a grim, moralistic aftertaste, it isn’t enough to derail an unflinching, moving study of 21st-century loneliness.

Related Articles

Movies | 07 08 2020

Movies | 18 11 2011

Movies | 14 10 2011

Movies | 03 08 2011

Movies | 08 09 2010

Log in or sign up for Rotten Tomatoes

Trouble logging in?

By continuing, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes.

Email not verified

Let's keep in touch.

Sign up for the Rotten Tomatoes newsletter to get weekly updates on:

• Upcoming Movies and TV shows
• Rotten Tomatoes Podcast
• Media News + More

By clicking "Sign Me Up," you are agreeing to receive occasional emails and communications from Fandango Media (Fandango, Vudu, and Rotten Tomatoes) and consenting to Fandango's Privacy Policy and Terms and Policies . Please allow 10 business days for your account to reflect your preferences.

OK, got it!

• About Rotten Tomatoes®
• Login/signup

Movies in theaters

• Opening This Week
• Top Box Office
• Coming Soon to Theaters
• Certified Fresh Movies

Movies at Home

• Fandango at Home
• Prime Video
• Most Popular Streaming Movies
• What to Watch New

Certified fresh picks

• 98% The Wild Robot Link to The Wild Robot
• 100% Girls Will Be Girls Link to Girls Will Be Girls
• 100% Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story Link to Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story

New TV Tonight

• 88% The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon: Season 2
• -- Heartstopper: Season 3
• -- Gremlins: The Wild Batch: Season 2
• -- The Legend of Vox Machina: Season 3
• -- Chef's Table: Noodles: Season 1
• -- Joan: Season 1
• -- Love Is Blind: Season 7
• -- Dandadan: Season 1
• -- Scare Tactics: Season 1

Most Popular TV on RT

• 93% Nobody Wants This: Season 1
• 94% The Penguin: Season 1
• 83% Agatha All Along: Season 1
• 85% The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power: Season 2
• -- Doctor Odyssey: Season 1
• 64% The Perfect Couple: Season 1
• 75% Grotesquerie: Season 1
• 100% From: Season 3
• 46% Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story: Season 2
• Best TV Shows
• Most Popular TV

Certified fresh pick

• 93% Nobody Wants This: Season 1 Link to Nobody Wants This: Season 1
• All-Time Lists
• Binge Guide
• Comics on TV
• Five Favorite Films
• Video Interviews
• Weekend Box Office
• Weekly Ketchup
• What to Watch

All Stephen King TV Series and Miniseries Ranked

All 47 DreamWorks Animation Movies Ranked by Tomatometer

What to Watch: In Theaters and On Streaming

Awards Tour

Renewed and Cancelled TV Shows 2024

Vote in the 1994 Movies Showdown – Round 2

• Trending on RT
• Hispanic Heritage Month
• TV Premiere Dates
• 1970s Horror
• Movie Re-Release Calendar

Shame Reviews

No All Critics reviews for Shame.