04 January 2012

Shame (Steve McQueen, 2011)



"We are not bad people. We just come from bad places" says Sissy (Carey Mulligan) in Shame which we can take as the films thesis. Clearly nothing new, which has caused it much ridicule, yet done with such artistry and power that it becomes a work that is both fresh and honest. The long takes and cross-cutting turn the film into a never-ending night for Brandon (Michael Fassbender) that does not allow any hope for the character, as the aritcle noted below argues, largely due to societal expectations (a sense of normalcy expected).

Related Reads:
Ignatiy Vishnevetsky on the film
A more positive take on the film

"Brandon’s compulsive indulgence in sex is only considered an “addiction” based on our socially constructed perception of normal behavior, and his unhappiness stems from the shame of his friction with world around him—that is, his behavior is only abnormal according to socially acceptable parameters of normality" (From the second link)

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