The film's numb attitude assumes that Brandon's problem is beyond reach or rescue. So why are we watching, except for high-tone misery and something close to pornography?
Shame
A compelling and timely examination of the nature of need, how we live our lives and the experiences that shape us.
2011 · 1h 42m · NC-17
Drama
Directed by
Steve McQueen
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Shame
Overview
Brandon, a thirty-something man living in New York, eludes intimacy with women but feeds his deepest desires with a compulsive addiction to sex. When his younger sister temporarily moves into his apartment, stirring up bitter memories of their shared painful past, Brandon's life, like his fragile mind, gets out of control.
Director and cast
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
The film is a raw, unsparing look at the downside of humanity.
It reconfirms McQueen as a filmmaker with an unflinching, microscopic gaze on the world.
Few filmmakers have plumbed the soul-churning depths of sexual addiction as fearlessly as British director Steve McQueen has in Shame.
Shame is something of a dirty date that leaves you wondering what went wrong.
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