Shame (2011)

Artwork for the French Theatrical Release

It's a shame that this movie is known as the sex-addict's film, when really the sex thing is a condition of the real problems of the characters, and that, when discovered, is more twisted and perverse.

It is of course overtly sexual, duh!  So if you are insulted by this, then move along.  You will hate this film from the very first penis shot to the last.

But even from the beginning, the film is utterly beautiful.  This, one could say, is the main aesthetic of the film, beautiful disturbance.  And it never ends, just gets worse/better.

The interplay between the music and the shots, sometimes classical music, sometimes remastered American standards in a slightly off-putting cover are always spot on.  Always the right emotional chords at the right moment.

The editing adds to this general unnerving feeling, and Michael Fassbender's acting, sometimes monotonous and sometimes wrought with overflowing pain and cries for empathy, are coupled in a way that elevates this film to a magnificent and entrancing level.

There's a fleeting shot at the end of the film that I am enamored with, and I believe it sums up the whole experience.  Michael Fassbender is in an apparently very confined elevator, having run god knows how  many blocks.  He is completely out of breath panting, and in the most subtle way, the camera pants with him, coming in and out of focus on the elevator walls, revealing the beautiful fine pattern on the elevator wall, creeping all over the wallpaper.  

It is, at the same time hypnotic and disturbing.

As such, buy this film now on Blu-ray and save it for prosperity, because god knows you will never find this film on TV. 

 Just remember to make sure that your kids are asleep in the other room, with the door locked.  They'll never appreciate the beauty.  

Oh yeah, and it's disturbing as well.  

Discuss.