Brandon has a secret. He’s addicted to sex.
Brandon has another secret. Sex doesn’t satisfy him.
Not in the least bit.
Hidden behind a layer of charismatic professionalism, Brandon’s life in Steve McQueen’s latest film, “Shame,” is a mess, but a self-contained one. That is until his sister comes back into his life and destroys any semblance of balance his existence once contained.
Sexy, disturbing, taut and experimental, Michael Fassbender’s portrayal of Brandon will automatically remind casual movie buffs of Christian Bale in “American Psycho.”
But putting that film in the same category as this one would be too novel.
Surreptitious and far from as straightforward in its debauchery, which ultimately consumes the film, “Shame” pushes the limit of acceptable sexuality in a film and succeeds in delivering a thought-provoking drama of a man lost.
However, the film’s biggest accomplishments come away from the softcore porn scenes and visuals of Fassbender in his birthday suit. Scenes where Brandon has no choice but to watch his sister Sissy [Carey Mulligan] make out with his dim-witted boss [James Badge Dale] and later where she invades his personal space and catches him masturbating, show us far more of the internal struggle this character faces than any of the sex scenes do.
The relationship between Brandon and his singer-sister Sissy, at times, feels pulled out of a Neil Simon production. Behind their sometimes easy-going chemistry, is a boiling tension that won’t go away. There’s no doubt there’s love present, as Brandon’s tears during one of Sissy’s performances at a nightclub [a beautiful and breathy rendition of “New York, New York”] show he cares. Her insistence to be a part of his life is also admirable and touching, but there’s also awkwardness.
Their comfort around each other naked initially makes you think they aren’t related until later. In the biggest scrum between the two in the film, a naked Fassbender pins down his on-camera sister, who initially believes he is joking and berates her. For a second, you wonder, will he rape his own sister to quench his need? He doesn’t deny sex from any of the men or women that accost him in the film, but never finds any sort of happiness along the way.
He seems to enjoy the hunt, but once his prey is caught, he appears miserable. The game is over right after it starts for him. Again, while the sex scenes show Brandon trying to find the satisfaction he needs, the best parts of the film happen when he is not a monster, but more a silent predator.
The early scene on the subway is an emotional one and goes to show Brandon is all about satisfying his thirst and not about fulfilling anyone else’s. With not a word said, Fassbender is able to deliver everything the audience needs to know about his character. However, the return to that premise at the conclusion of the film proves little. As the lady who was seemingly shocked at what Brandon’s eyes indicated he wanted earlier is now ready to grant him access, he’s been through far too much to take her up on her offer.
Or is he? In spite of several moments throughout the film that should have made him reevaluate his life decisions, Brandon doesn’t seem to feel regret. It’s obvious he’s ashamed of himself, but he lacks the power to truly change his life for the better, even when the opportunity continually presents itself.
While it does not provide any real conclusion to the tale, the ending is fair. Brandon is an addict. He has a problem. His tale isn’t cut and dry. The answers to the questions he has about himself will not come easy. Naturally, watching this tale unfold is often uncomfortable. The nudity and grit doesn’t help the experience all the time, even when the visuals themselves are pleasing to the eyes.
But underneath the film’s lack of clothes, the inner struggle that drives it is too intriguing to pass up.
You’ll often pity Brandon, but you’ll care about him too. Just enough to make his journey one you’ll remember.
Leave a Reply