MOVIE REVIEWS | INTERVIEWS | YOUTUBE |  NEWS |  EDITORIALS | EVENTS | AUDIO | ESSAYS | ARCHIVES | CONTACT |
 PHOTOS | COMING SOON| EXAMINER.COM FILM ARTICLES ||HOME

                                                       
Friday, April 13, 2012

BLU-RAY REVIEW/"Shame"
Michael Fassbender's Tour De Force; Steve McQueen's Thought-Provoking Powerhouse

Michael Fassbender as Brandon in Steve McQueen's drama "Shame".  Photos by Fox Searchlight Pictures
    
by Omar P.L. Moore/PopcornReel.com        Follow popcornreel on Twitter FOLLOW                                           
Friday, April 13, 2012

 Steve McQueen's powerhouse drama "Shame" arrives on Blu-Ray on Tuesday in the U.S. and Canada, and it's as resonant on disc as it was in theaters last December.  The independent drama released by Fox Searchlight Pictures stars Michael Fassbender as Brandon Sullivan, a Manhattanite who lives a seemingly normal life except for a gargantuan addiction to sex.  

Brandon eats, drinks and sleeps sex.  After a day at work Brandon can't wait to sit in front of his laptop and view live fantasy women online.  He aches to sleep with every woman he sees, including a flirtatious married one (Lucy Walters) who makes inviting approaches to him on a subway train.  Brandon's sister Sissy's (Carey Mulligan) abrupt intrusion of his daily life highlights the gulf and tension between these two troubled souls.

"Shame" is a potent adult film that recalls the New York City of "Midnight Cowboy" and the grit, sweat and luridness of "Bad Lieutenant".  Mr. McQueen's flourishes of artistic precision and minimalism make "Shame" a visually transfixing work, further augmented by the fine cinematography of Sean Bobbitt, who brings a golden orange look to some scenes and a cold, steely ice-blue veneer to others.  The stark contrast illustrates the conflict between Brandon in the cold light of day and Brandon burning bright in the orange flame of his sexual desires and self-destruction.  It's a tragic journey, and the last image we see of Brandon is haunting, even disturbing. 

Harry Escott's elegiac score is memorable, as is the soundtrack that includes Howlin' Wolf, John Coltrane, Glenn Gould, Chic, Blondie and the Tom Tom Club.  

Mr. McQueen leaves the audience to assess the nature of the history of Brandon and Sissy and their relationship as siblings but it's clear there's much going on beneath the surface.  Two scenes involving towels are as big a clue as one needs to understand.



"Shame" is one of the ten best films of 2011.  The film, rated NC-17 (for some explicit sexual content) deserves a second look from audiences and from those who may have been turned off by a rating I still don't believe "Shame" deserved, particularly given its context.  Enough people however, saw "Shame" in theaters to see that Mr. McQueen presented a serious discussion about disconnection, isolation and estrangement from intimacy in a society saturated with sex, sexual messages and advertising.  ("Shame" made a shade under $4 million at the North American box office.)

As he did in their initial collaboration "Hunger", Mr. McQueen brings out the best in Mr. Fassbender, excellent here as the feral, Neanderthal-like Brandon, while Ms. Mulligan comes of age with a fine, pivotal performance as Sissy.  Nicole Beharie plays Marianne, another key character in "Shame".  Ms. Beharie's ease, confidence and charisma are refreshing, and her Marianne is Brandon's one real possibility for true love.  Yet Brandon, a man of few words but definite intentions, has serious issues with commitment.

Having said all of this, the "Shame" Blu-Ray, a 2.35:1 widescreen 1080p HD presentation which contains a separate DVD disc and digital copy (which expires on August 31) is rather threadbare on extras.  There are four three-minute featurettes on the film: "Focus On Michael Fassbender", "Director Steve McQueen" -- a rather choppily-edited presentation of the director talking about the film; "The Story Of Shame" and "A Shared Vision".  A fifth featurette is a five-minute interview with Mr. Fassbender for the Fox Movie Channel.  The Blu-Ray includes the original "Shame" theatrical trailer plus trailers for "The Descendants" (now on Blu-Ray) and "Margaret", soon to arrive on Blu-Ray (date unspecified).

Perhaps a stunning, mature film like "Shame" needn't merit extras nor an audio commentary (absent here), for it speaks loudly and unmistakably for itself.  Steve McQueen's film is well worth your time, and while it travels quickly on the screen, "Shame", great, totally absorbing cinema, won't easily be forgotten or digested.

With: James Badge Dale, Elizabeth Masucci, Amy Hargreaves.

"Shame", on Blu-Ray on Tuesday, April 17 in the U.S. and Canada, is rated NC-17 by the Motion Picture Association Of America for some explicit sexual content.  The film's running time is one hour and 41 minutes.
COPYRIGHT 2012.  POPCORNREEL.COM.  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.                Follow popcornreel on Twitter FOLLOW
MOVIE REVIEWS | INTERVIEWS | YOUTUBE |  NEWS |  EDITORIALS | EVENTS | AUDIO | ESSAYS | ARCHIVES | CONTACT | PHOTOS | COMING SOON| EXAMINER.COM FILM ARTICLES ||HOME