Shame poster & wallpaper
Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites

Michael Fassbender, Carey Mulligan, James Badge Dale, Nicole Beharie, Lucy Walters ... see more see more... , Mari-Ange Ramirez , Alex Manette , Hannah Ware , Elizabeth Masucci , Rachel Farrar , Loren Omer , Lauren Tyrrell , Marta Milans , Jake Richard Siciliano , Robert Montano , Charisse Merman , Amy Hargreaves , Anna Hopkins , Chazz Menendez , Carl Low , Calamity Chang , DeeDee Luxe , Stanley Wayne Mathis , Wenne Alton Davis

Brandon (Michael Fassbender) is a New Yorker who shuns intimacy with women but feeds his desires with a compulsive addiction to sex. When his wayward younger sister (Carey Mulligan) moves into his apa... read more read more...rtment stirring memories of their shared painful past, Brandon's insular life spirals out of control. -- (C) Official Site

Flixster Users

77% liked it

19,845 ratings

Critics

80% liked it

182 critics

NC-17, 1 hr. 39 min.

Directed by: Steve McQueen (III)

Release Date: December 2, 2011

Invite friends to see

DVD Release Date: April 17, 2012

Get It:

Stats: 2,018 reviews

report incorrect info

Photos

Carey Mulligan Michael Fassbender Michael Fassbender Carey Mulligan Shame Shame Shame Shame Shame Shame Shame Shame Shame Shame Shame Brandon Sullivan Brandon Sullivan Sissy Sullivan
Upload a Photo | View All Shame Photos

Your Rating


clear rating

Flixster Reviews (2,018)

  • MrMarakai
    May 23, 2012
    MrMarakai
    In 2008, director Steve McQueen made his directorial debut with the devastating drama "Hunger" about the last six weeks in the life of Irish hunger striker Bobby Sands. Michael Fassbender was his lead in that unflinching portrayal. Three years later, they reunite for this equally... read more powerful drama about sex-addiction.
    Brandon Sullivan (Fassbender) is a successful New York businessman. He leads a comfortable lifestyle, including that of a bachelor, where he spends most of his evenings sleeping with different women. It all seems normal on the surface but the unexpected arrival of his sister Sissy (Carey Mulligan) upturns a deeper side to him. It appears that his sexual appetite may be more serious than he's been willing to confront.
    Michael Fassbender has been steadily building a reputation for himself since he came to attention in McQueen's debut and followed it up with consistent turns in Andrea Arnold's "Fish Tank" and Quentin Tarantino's "Inglorious Basterds". He's an actor in very high demand at the moment and judging by this performance alone, you can see why. This is as good as any he has delivered. If not better. Sometimes actors go above and beyond the call of duty; Harvey Keitel in "Bad Lieutenant" and Charlotte Gainsbourg in "AntiChrist" are a notable couple. Fassbender can be, courageously, included amongst them. He exposes himself in every sense of the word and delivers the most fearless and vulnerable performance of 2011. His portrayal of Brandon is a deeply complex piece of work. He's an enigmatic character that grooms and dresses immaculately. He takes pride in his appearance but not his actions. He cannot connect with people on an intimate level and as a result, develops a voracious appetite for sexual encounters and material. His lack of connection also extends to his emotionally fragile sister, who so obviously needs his help and it's the very arrival of his sibling that brings his shame to the forefront. His use of pornography, prostitutes and masterbation can't be hidden anymore. This is when he has to confront his own self-loathing and sexual addictions. His encounters are all meaningless and any that do show meaning, he can't perform. This is a truly harrowing character study of the failure or inability to truly connect with people - especially in the times and congested environments we live in. Despite the numerous sexual encounters, there is nothing erotic about this film. It's purely focused on the turmoil of one man's spiralling journey of self-harm. Carey Mulligan cannot go unmentioned for her emotional performance here also. Her role is not as in depth as the protagonist and she has less to work with but she's the catalyst for the unravelling of the film and brings a much needed heart into the mix.
    McQueen's direction is near flawless and meticulous in it's detail. He takes a step back from his actors and captures moments in facial expressions and eye contact. Words don't always need to be said and if anything, it's all the better for it. He allows an intelligence from his audience and he's aided by some stark and clinical cinematography by Sean Bobbitt, in capturing the emptiness in these damaged peoples lives.
    I have now lost count of the amount of film's and performances of 2011 that were, unforgivably, overlooked at the Oscars. This is most certainly one of them. The title of this film should be shouted continuously in the faces of the Academy voters. It's a disgrace it was omitted.
    This may prove to be a difficult or controversial film for some people. It's certainly not for the prudish or sensitive of heart but I, for one, think it's essential viewing. A powerful and provocative collaboration between Steve McQueen and Michael Fassbender has developed and I can only hope they continue to make more films in the future.
  • Saxia
    May 23, 2012
    Saxia
    Fassbender is Brandon, a succesfull, unattached sex-addict. Although his lifestyle seems like fun in the beginning, the desperation becomes more apparent as the movie progresses. And when his sister shows up needing a place to stay, the addiction takes on an entirely different fo... read morerm. Instead of liberating him, it becomes destructive.
    What I like about the movie, is that it manages to stay tasteful in spite of the subject and the more explicit scenes.
    Mulligan deserves to be mentioned here, she did good job playing Sissy, don't let that sweet face of her fool you.
  • SirPant
    May 22, 2012
    SirPant
    There is no doubt in my mind that is a future classic. At last we have a film that defines an era and probably the next big actor/director relationship. Fassbender doesn't know how to act anyway but perfectly and Steve McQueen (no not that one) is proving himself to be the direct... read moreor to watch out for. His visuals are captivating and beautiful, he could make a dog turd look good he's that talented and he's obviously not shy when choosing his subject matter. This is my favourite film about addiction along with The Man with the Golden Arm and probably the best since Requiem for a Dream, but obviously not about the same type of addiction. When Carey Mulligan's character declares that 'We're not bad people, we just come from a bad place' it kind of sums up the whole film without going into unnecessary details, it's all about the performances and the direction and this film has that in spades. Compelling and provocative and utterly sublime. Film of the year for me so far!
  • romy861
    May 20, 2012
    romy861
    Good, but grim viewing. There is a lot of sex in this movie, but it's not erotic at all, so those looking for titillation need to keep looking. It is the story of two adult siblings who are both damaged in some way that is never explained. Slight on dialog, much is said from the ... read moreexpressions and way this movie is shot. I really liked it, but at the same time, don't think I would watch it again. The scene near the end with the sister in the bathroom was particularly disturbing and sad.
  • fb619846742
    May 17, 2012
    fb619846742
    A powerful, searing look at a sex addict (Michael Fassbender) and his inability to break away from a destructive lifestyle that holds no end in sight. For those that can stomach the extreme, explicit sexuality that goes on in this film, the lead reason why it was tagged with an N... read moreC-17 rating, it is a film worthy of the praise it has received. It contains a message that is irrefutably important, especially nowadays as society is continuing to plummet into an unending hole of amorality. Too many films and too many musical artists glorify the subject of sex to be something carefree and innocent, but few auteurs like a Steve McQueen would have the skill and precision to take this phony stereotype and show all the ugliness many know exists, but refuse to acknowledge. Fassbender's performance is gloriously depressing, the way it should be, while Carey Mulligan (who plays his screwed up sister) provides a great supporting turn. It is not an easy movie to get through, it is often disturbing and it takes something that should be beautiful under the right setting and makes it utterly repulsive. The duo of McQueen and Fassbender (like it did in McQueen's debut film, the fantastic "Hunger") works like a charm again, and the result is one of the best films of 2011, as well as one of the hardest watches I can recall in quite some time.
  • jjnxn
    May 17, 2012
    jjnxn
    Contains committed performances from Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan but grim, unsettling and certainly not a film for everyone. Carey performs a haunting unusual rendition of New York, New York full of despair and pain which pretty much encapulates the feeling of the pictu... read morere. Something to admire for the audacity of the makers and performers but hardly a movie that you would walk away from saying you enjoyed it.
  • tsigur
    May 6, 2012
    tsigur
    Definitely my favorite movie that I have seen from last year (granted I have not seen everything). Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan give amazing performances and Steve McQueen is my favorite new director. One of the best films about addiction I have seen since Panic in Needl... read moree Park.
  • LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    May 1, 2012
    LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    "We're not bad people. We just come from a bad place."

    In New York City, Brandon's carefully cultivated private life -- which allows him to indulge his sexual addiction -- is disrupted when his sister Sissy arrives unannounced for an indefinite stay.

    ... read more+2 face="Century Schoolbook">REVIEW
    Shame is a film with little conversation that makes real pornography look romantic. Don't let the NC-17 rating fool you: there's no prurience here, just the story of a man, Brandon (Michael Fassbender), obsessed by sex, so dominated by it that when he is not trolling for women, he's watching porn on his computer, even at work. How he succeeds in the corporate world, distracted by his obsession and loading his computer with images, is one of the mysteries of a film that seems less interested in sex than in showing the addictive personality. Brandon doesn't so much long for the stimulation as he does contact with other human beings that requires a level of passion his own corporate and personal life don't give him. "Dour" would be the best way to describe him, a zombie of sorts who seeks prey to fill a need director Steve McQueen minimally spells out. Brandon seems to exist in a zone of solitude where sex is its lifeblood. The lift could just as well come from drugs, so indifferent does he seem to the normal stimulations of living.

    When his sis (Carey Mulligan) comes back onto his life, he resents her upsetting his self indulgent world, and yet as slutty and disorganized as she is, she forces him to look outward even if it is to see him in her. What the director/writer does not do is provide the much-needed background for their truancy, the family history to provide context for a brother and sister lost. To see Brandon shed a tear while Sis sings a slow version of New York, New York is to get a glimpse of an interior guarded most of the time by actor, script, and director. Needless to say, although little explanation is forthcoming, the sense of a wasted life is palpable, the depiction of an emotionally barren human being exceptional (witness the modern, barren Manhattan sets). Given Brandon's apparent talents in the corporate world, and his expert seduction record, it is indeed a "shame" he can't escape his self-imposed prison.
  • fb1463751009
    May 1, 2012
    fb1463751009
    Wow.

    Just... wow.

    "Shame" is a spiralingly scary portrayal of an addiction gone wrong. How can I say this -- everything exudes pitch dark realism at its worst. "Shame" is easily the best NC-17 rated movie of all time and one of the most, if not, the most mature movie of 2011.

    ... read moreMichael Fassbender, man, I was a fan of yours after you stole the screen in "X-Men: First Class" and "Inglourious Basterds", but you took it to a whole 'nother level in this one. He is absolutely absorbing in every single scene he's in. Whether it comes down to Fassbender's quiet, soul-churning moments, or when his anger spurts forth, his performance speaks at thundering volumes. He easily steals the show. There were so many moments where I said to myself, "How did you act this part? You must've been through the same thing." Jean Dujardin won best actor for this year? Yeah, I agree he did an EXCELLENT job, but Fassbender easily kills it in this.

    With a direction that is patient but unafraid to delve into the dark depths that many people choose to hide, director Steve McQueen makes a near masterpiece that rightfully chooses not to explain things through dialogue, but simply let the audience observe the chaos that spirals into play. The results are riveting; by the end, I was shocked, not particularly "Requiem for a Dream" status by how disgusting things got, but by how heartbreakingly scary it is to see an addiction involuntarily strangle its hosts into deeper and more isolated areas. Yes, this movie has a gratuitous amount of sex in it, but that wasn't what made the movie disgusting nor appealing. It was an everyday thing for Michael Fassbender's character, Brandon, and yes, his inner demons was the struggle over the sex addiction, but there was much more to it then that. This is a multi-layered, extensively deep film that addresses and shows the horrors of these issues, but doesn't care to explain or address them with blatant dialogue that's thrown in for the sake of explanation. "Shame" is about shame. If it were about sex, it would've been called "Sex".

    For an NC-17 movie, this had one hell of a great production. It's cinematically beautiful and with editing that's unconventionally long but artistic. The score stirs and the direction is spot on.

    "Shame" is easily one of my favorite movies of 2011. It's disquieting, unapologetic, and gripping. "Shame" does have a vast amount of sex scenes and nudity, but luckily, it isn't used to commercialize sex -- in fact, it's used to show how abominable it is when used incorrectly. Incredibly absorbing movie. A must watch though the NC-17 rating was slapped on for a reason so, viewer discretion IS advised.
  • fb733768972
    April 28, 2012
    fb733768972
    Words can not begin to describe how genuinely real that this film feels. As Brandon (Michael Fassbender), a sex-crazed lunatic who spends every waking moment having sex or on his computer at work watching porn. This is definitely not your average mainstream story, and not even an... read more original idea, but the way it is presented is so beautiful that you would be a fool not to like it. The performances are great and you hope that each character turns out the way you would like them to in the end. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this film, aside from the fact that they could have added a little more depth in a few plot points, rather than drag out the sex sequences. I highly recommend viewing this film with an open mind and not to judge either. This film represents pure beauty. A magnificent showing of true life emotions that some people truly have. "Shame" is a fantastic film!

View All Shame Reviews

Critic Reviews

Justin Chang
December 29, 2011
Justin Chang, Variety

Few filmmakers have plumbed the soul-churning depths of sexual addiction as fearlessly as British director Steve McQueen has in Shame. Full Review

Tom Long
December 16, 2011
Tom Long, Detroit News

Shame is something of a dirty date that leaves you wondering what went wrong. Full Review

Bill Goodykoontz
December 15, 2011
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic

[Fassbender is] so good as a man completely lost to his baser impulses that it makes "Shame" worth sitting through. Enjoying? That's a relative term. But you'll certainly appreciate it. Full Review

Chris Vognar
December 8, 2011
Chris Vognar, Dallas Morning News

[A] graphic and spontaneous portrait of a spiraling sex addict. Full Review

Carrie Rickey
December 8, 2011
Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer

McQueen finds the exquisite tension between the brother wanting to disconnect and the sister longing for connection. Full Review

Wesley Morris
December 8, 2011
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe

There's a misery in Fassbender that's spellbinding. I rolled my eyes for most of "Shame.'' But never at him. Full Review

Eric D. Snider
December 2, 2011
Eric D. Snider, Film.com

Despite the impression you may have gotten strolling some of the Internet's more giggly avenues, the most riveting part of Michael Fassbender's anatomy in Shame is his face. Full Review

Mark Jenkins
December 2, 2011
Mark Jenkins, NPR

It was frantic sex that earned Shame an NC-17 rating, but this arty drama is mostly slow and methodical. And thoroughly unsexy. Full Review

Rick Groen
December 2, 2011
Rick Groen, Globe and Mail

Yes, this is an affecting picture that leaves the viewer as wrung out as the protagonist. No doubt you'll be seduced but, in the end, you may also feel abandoned. Full Review

Richard Roeper
December 2, 2011
Richard Roeper, Richard Roeper.com

On a par with "Midnight Cowboy." Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Cast

More Like This

Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

  • Last Tango in Paris
    Last Tango in Paris (100%)
  • Eyes Wide Shut
    Eyes Wide Shut (100%)
  • sex, lies, and videotape
    sex, lies, and videotape (97%)
  • American Beauty
    American Beauty (100%)

More Movies like Shame

Facts

Submit a Fact | View All
    • Sissy: I'm not playing the victim. If I left, I would never hear from you again. Don't you think that's sad? Don't you think that's sad? You're my brother.
    • Brandon: Hey slut, wanna do it?
    • Brandon: Try doing something, Actions count not words.
    • Sissy: We're not bad people. We just come from a bad place.
    • Brandon: You are a weight on me!
    • Brandon: Touch that. [points to back of head]
Submit a Fact | View All

Shame : Watch Free on TV

Shame Trivia

  • In the John Water's movie "A Dirty Shame", how did the characters become sex addicts?  Answer »
  • Katie Holmes dropped out of the movie Shame on You due to her upcoming pregnancy  Answer »
  • I'VE STARRED IN DEMON KNIGHT, A LOW DOWN DIRTY SHAME, BAMBOOZLED,ALI AND WAS A VOICE OVER FOR A MADAGASCAR CHARCHTER. WHO AM I?  Answer »
  • Martin Scorsese's so called classic The Departed a plagiarised version of the far superior Hong Kong movie Infernal Affairs  Answer »
More Shame Trivia

Movie Quizzes

No quizzes for Shame. Want to create one?

Video Clips

Upload a Video |

All Shame Videos

Meet Other Fans

Add Shame to favorites

Recent News

No recent headlines. Got one?

Recent Lists

Make a List |

View All Lists

Most Popular Skin

No skins yet. Interested in creating one?