Philly Film Fest - Shame

Michael Fassbender has a Dirk Diggler size schlong!  And an Adonis rear-end. Beyond that, I don't remember anything about the film Shame. 
Just kidding. Well, about the film resonance, not about Fassbender.  In
actuality, the film stayed with me for quite awhile.  Seeing two people
in so much pain with no clue how to get relief, yet basically from the
outside, look as if they are managing the day in and out of life.

Director Steve McQueen (Hunger),
(why doesn't he go by S. McQueen or use his middle name, Rodney or
Stephen?) has created an intense character study of a sex addict without
really having to go overboard on graphic content.  Not that there isn't
a lot of very visual sex scenes, but it's not gratuitous. With that
being said, it was still however, embarrassing to watch the film with so
many senior citizens. The audience was very mixed in age and race; but I
just happened to be sitting next to a group of grayed haired people to
my left and right, making me grateful that movies take place in the
dark.

I really don't want to give too much away, it's one of those films where
you have to bring your own conclusion to what these two characters
Brandon (Fassbender) and his sister Sissy (Carey Mulligan) have been through in their past to bring them to this place in their lives.

On
both a food in film, and an ever watching to see good roles for African
American women note: this restaurant scene of Brandon on a date with
Marianne (Nicole Beharie) both lightens the mood and represents a momentary glimmer of hope for Brandon.

I can also say, Shame has a beautifully shot, sophisticated
uptown New York City feel in the beginning, and slowly dissolves into a
more gritty, desolate New York. Very subtle, but effective.  The scene
depicted in the picture at the top, Brandon and Sissy's with their backs
to the camera, while waiting for a subway, is such a great shot and a
touching exchange without being the least bit schmaltzy. There's another
scene with them shot in profile against a backdrop of Looney Tune
cartoons that's incredibly intense and should earn an Oscar nomination
for them both.

 

For more commentary on films shown during The Philadelphia Film Festival October 20 - Nov 3, 2011 visit Tinsel & Tine