Shame (**** out of ****)

Sex is a drug of contradiction. There are many different views that are cast upon it.  Sex is often seen as a dirty act but something everyone wants, craves and longs for. It is a drug make no mistake of that. It creates a natural high in the body that a drug can attempt to replicate. Sex addiction is also scary thing. It creates a need for something that many find offending. For an action that requires the presence or thought of another person it seems to create a sense if alienation. A loneliness that may never be filled. Shame is a film that tackles the issue of sex addiction with unflinching courage. This is a film that  is shocking film not only in the detailed way its subject matter is presented but in the strong ideas the film wishes to share with the audience.

Brandon (Michael Fassbender) is the Dante like lead of our story. He lives alone in a small NYC apartment, works in a office and as a man is quite handsome. He has the qualities to be quite the catch for any girl if his mind wasn't so warped. Brandon however is a hollow shell of a man. So lost in his addiction that he has no connection to anybody. His job is never specified because like it is to him, it doesn't matter. He has no real friends. He'll go out on the town with coworkers and his boss (James Badge Dale) but Brandon's eyes always seem vacant. Brandon of course is always thinking of his release. An interesting idea presented is Brandon may no longer be simply heterosexual. How can he be attracted to anybody if his mind is only looking for the release that comes with such interactions

One day his sister Sissy (A marvelous Carey Mulligan) shows up out of the blue and needs to stay for a few days. Brandon can't stand human contact for this long and his world is thrown into a loop. This is a character study film. It's plot is simply how sex addict lives his life. Sissy acts as a plot device that helps move Brandon further into both a empty bastion as well as redemption.

Steve McQueen's sophomore film is as dazzling as it is haunting. It moves along at a loving pace that matches Brandon's personality perfectly. No doubt this film portrays an accurate depiction of sex addiction. Michael Fassbender plays Brandon in a performance that is like no other. He has some courage to go "full monty" on screen but that simply doesn't make it a great performance. Fassbender inhabits the role to such a depth that his pain looks genuine. He commands the screen with his presence. It is quite possibly the best performance you will see for a film released in 2011. Shame is a unforgettable film that is hard to watch but impossible to look away from. The surge of emotions that ran through me causes fear to watch it twice. Yet that makes it all the more appealing.

**** out of ****