Brandon Sullivan is a New Yorker who cannot stop having sex. He pays for it, watches it on screen, and does it alone, several times a day, even at his desk. That is the whole engine of “Shame,” and it runs cold and steady for 102 minutes.
Steve McQueen directs, and he co-wrote the script with Abi Morgan. Michael Fassbender plays Brandon, a man who has built a life around avoiding intimacy. Carey Mulligan plays his younger sister, Sissy, who shows up at his apartment unexpectedly and stirs up memories of their shared past. James Badge Dale plays David, Brandon’s boss and a man who makes a habit of fooling around.
Trailer, via SearchlightPictures.
Brandon’s Machine
Brandon is a machine. He goes to work, pays for sex, comes home, and repeats. His apartment is clean, his clothes are pressed, and his face rarely changes. Fassbender holds the film together with a performance that never raises its voice. There is no anger, no confession, no reaching for help. There is only the next act of sex, and the next, and the next.
The film’s explicit scenes landed it an NC-17 rating in the United States. That is not a gimmick. The sex is shown without romance, without pleasure, and without release. It is a job, a ritual, a way of keeping other people at arm’s length. Mulligan’s Sissy is the opposite. She sings in a lounge, she laughs too loud, she reaches for her brother’s hand. Their scenes together are the film’s center, and they are also its hardest to watch.
Sissy Arrives
Sissy’s arrival is the trigger. She shows up at Brandon’s apartment without warning, and Brandon is caught off guard. He lets her stay, but he cannot stand being near her. He overhears her on the phone, begging someone not to leave her. He watches her sing “New York, New York” in a bar, and he feels something he has not felt in years. Then David flirts with Sissy and finds the scars on her arms. Brandon catches them in bed together, and he runs.
The film tracks Brandon’s spiral through a series of small betrayals. He loses a job, he loses a friend, and he loses the only person who ever asked him to open up. The film does not offer a neat ending. It simply stops, with Brandon alone again, staring at the wall.
A Long List of Names
The cast runs deep. Beyond Fassbender and Mulligan, it includes Nicole Beharie as Marianne, Lucy Walters as the woman on the subway train, Mari-Ange Ramirez as Alexa, Alex Manette as Steven, Hannah Ware as Samantha, Elizabeth Masucci as Elizabeth, Rachel Farrar as Rachel, Loren Omer as Loren, and Lauren Tyrrell as the hostess. None of them get much room to breathe. The film belongs to Brandon and Sissy, and everyone else fades into the background.
The film premiered at the 68th Venice International Film Festival, where it was selected for its main competition. Fassbender won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor. The film was released in the United Kingdom on 13 January 2012.
What Works
The film’s direction is exact. McQueen knows exactly when to hold a shot and when to cut away. The music, by Rick Smith, matches the film’s rhythm without ever taking over. The performances are strong across the board, though Mulligan’s Sissy is the one who risks the most. Her scenes with Brandon are the film’s best, and they are also its most difficult to sit through.
The film’s weakness is its narrow focus. Brandon’s world is defined entirely by his compulsion, and there is little room for anyone else. The film trusts its audience to feel the weight of Brandon’s isolation, but it never offers a counterweight. That leaves the film feeling thin by the end.
Key Facts Box
– Runtime: 102 minutes
– Director: Steve McQueen
– Writers: Steve McQueen, Abi Morgan
– Premiere: 68th Venice International Film Festival
– UK release: 13 January 2012
– Rating: NC-17 (US)
Comparison Table
| | Brandon | Sissy |
|—|—|—|
| Role | Sex addict, isolated | Lounge singer |
| Performance | Controlled, restrained | Loud, expressive |
| Relationship | Avoids intimacy | |
| Outcome | Loses control | Loses her brother |
“Shame” is a demanding film. It asks the viewer to sit with discomfort, and it does not apologize for that demand. The film’s refusal to soften its subject is brave, but it also limits its range. Brandon’s world is a closed loop, and the film stays inside it without finding a way out.
The film is a portrait of a man who cannot stop running, and it follows him until there is nowhere left to run. It is not a happy film, and it does not pretend to be. It is a precise, uncomfortable, often brilliant look at a man who has lost himself to his own habits. It is worth seeing, but it is not easy to watch.
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