Shame (2011)

Director - Steve McQueen
Notable cast - Michael Fassbender, Carey Mulligan
Genre - Drama
Budget - 4.2 Million

Run time - 101 minutes

Shame is a 2011 English Drama produced by film4. Straight away, the themes of depression, tension, angst, loneliness and dullness are represented from the effective use of symbols. Symbols are used intensely throughout the whole film to portray these themes well. The facial expression of Brandon (Fassbender) is sullen and moody constantly, much like his expression and composition, Brandon’s apartment – where majority of the film is set in a dull, monochrome grey with no expressive elements, similar to that of a show home. The other settings of the film (Brandon’s work and the subway) also reflect his obsessive and controlling actions on the plain monochrome backdrop of his life - Whether it’s furiously cleaning a toilet seat that he never uses or the dull grey metal of the subway.

Clichés are used subtly within the film, as Brandon sees his perfect woman on the subway, her clothes being the only colourful thing on the train, or the dysfunctional sibling relationship that Brandon and Sissy (Mulligan) have. While they are clichés they are used well and are often the start of a plot twist or a tool to expose more about each character.

The props within the sets are simple, Brandon has a phone that he never uses, and a laptop he only seemingly uses to view porn, reinforcing the themes of obsession and exclusion. Simple outfits with plain colours are worn by Brandon; a plain suit, pyjamas and a tracksuit, these show the limits and interest he has regarding socialisation. Sissy’s clothes and extensive amount of outfits represent her to be more of a free spirit, explaining the clash of personality and why Sissy is seen as a burden by her Brother.

The camera work helps to show the themes of transition, desire and exclusion, the angles and movements of the camera are relied upon as there is minimal speech and dialogue in the film, they tend to tell the story. Point of view and over the shoulder shots are used to show exclusion, close up shots are used to show desire and are used to help the plot – when there is a close up of a wedding ring. Birds eye view shots are used to show a transition between Brandon’s professional and private life and how the two often intersect due to a lack of boundaries. Though the angles are used effectively, a handheld camera is used a lot, this doesn’t feel necessary at times as they are stationary and wide angle and the instability is distracting.

Majority of the scenes within the film are short, meaning they don’t hold a lot substance In regard to the narrative, they feel more like representations of snippets of Brandon’s life. In these scenes there is often soft but tense musical accompaniment or they are completely mute, this again shows the solidarity and angst of the character, and consequently, scenes that should drag go over quickly and keep the whole film from going stale.

A lot of non diagetic sound is used to convey emotion, the diagetic music that is used, coupled with the streets and skyline of Manhattan, with jogging scenes and looking out of a car window sadly represent the more creative aspect of film Steve McQueen indulges in, almost forgetting about the narrative for what feels like a large part of the film.

Carey Mulligan’s performance makes her character Sissy more dynamic than her brother Brandon, the raw emotion that Mulligan conveys and projects into the film along with her genuine talent for singing, and making the audience engage, therefore feel sorry for her character, Stealing some of the lime light from Fassbender.  

Shame is unconventional in the sense that it doesn’t feel to have a narrative, while having a narrative. Though it is slow to establish a stable narrative and leaving the audience with a questionable equilibrium at the end, it feels like there should be more, which again makes the audience connect with both characters lack of fulfilment life. The film feels as if it should be the second to a trilogy. It’s evident that disregarding the a-list cast, it’s an independent film, made more of an art project for a film festival than a blockbuster for worldwide release, though the film is still classed a success budget wise as it made over 17 million pound.   

Shame deals with taboos such as suicide and sex outlandishly but with a sophisticated noir feel, as Brandon’s compulsive personality leaves him with a sex and porn addiction. Sissy’s depression deals with self harm and neediness. Resulting in the film feeling more like a documentary showing people aren’t black and white than a fictitious piece of work, the realism that the film has shouldn’t work, but it does. Even with its minor failings, Shame is a daring and emotive film with a realistic taste that adds to the depth that's revolutionary in the sense of what should be a world renowned film.