Written by Steve McQueen, Abi Morgan
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Carey Mulligan
Music by: Harry Escott
Language: English
Rating: 4/5
Listing this movie in this blog might look like a mistake, as Shame, a 2011 British drama directed by Steve McQueen and starring Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan, has nothing to do with BDSM. Still, I thought it was important to include this movie as well: Shame is in fact a "must watch" movie for everyone who is interested in investigating sexuality, human mind or both and in the age of Tinder, which has completely changed the way we interact with each other, this movie tells something to us all.
The whole movie is about sexual addiction and its effects on the private life and the affective sphere. And here is the first interesting aspect: a man is the protagonist of the story. This obliges the spectator to see things from a different perspective, far from the stereotypes of female hypersexuality, which - for obvious reasons, I would say - use to be the preferred one whenever film-makers try to investigate the world of sexual addiction (just think of Lars von Trier's Nymphomaniac, for example).
Shame is then a lustful, elegant movie about satyriasis where the main role is well tailored to its occupant, Michael Fassbender, who previously worked with McQueen in Hunger - the "couple" seems to work well together.
A second interesting aspect: unlike Nymphomaniac, which I promise to comment one day on this blog, Shame is not simply the mere sequence of explicit scenes reflecting the protagonist's sexual addiction. Shame - as the title suggests - focuses on the psychological impact of sexual addiction and actually shows how it affects the protagonist's life. At work, with family (Carey Mulligan is here the main character's sister: together they represent a good example of dysfunctional family), in intimate relationships (Brandon, the protagonist, is unable to maintain his erection when emotions and affection are involved; can only satisfy his needs if having detached rough sex with occasional sexual partners).
Kinky spectators will probably find the movie boring, as it does not display that much in the end - just some encounters with sex workers, a threesome and an occasional gay experience - but the underlying, constant sexual tension together with some stylish scenes could keep you aroused most of the time. Not a masterpiece, but definitely worth watching.
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