I guess that makes me a big girl now. I was so nervous to see this film that I was almost shaking before it began. But I am absolutely thrilled that I decided to see it despite reviewers stating that it was the most "uncomfortable 100 minutes" of their lives and Roger Ebert saying he would only be able to see it once. Yes, it is about the tragic life of a sex addict in New York and his inability to have any sort of human connection with anyone. That is what made it so incredibly powerful to watch. And knowing that it was going to be graphic going in definitely helped- I thought it was going to much worse than it ended up being.
The superb acting was one of the many things that made this film so exceptional. Michael Fassbender, who most of you would recognize from either Jane Eyre or Haywire truly demonstrated his acting ability as the lead role in Shame. I cannot remember the last time my heart has ached in such a way for a character- you hate him so much for the way he treats his sister (beautifully portrayed by Carey Mulligan) and the way he uses women, but pity him so much for those same reasons. He is simply unable to connect in a normal way with another human being. Yet despite his immense flaws and major mistakes, you still want him to win and overcome his inner demons. His emotions are effortlessly etched in his face, and the audience has no choice but to feel exactly what he feels, and to hurt right along with him. Needless to say, it is an emotional experience to watch this film. I also enjoyed that New York City was not romanticized as it is in so many movies these days. I cannot exactly label myself an expert in NYC knowledge seeing as how I only spent a little over a day there. But I feel as though so many films these days make it out to be a perfect and magical place with no flaws, so I was glad that Shame portrayed the other side of things. The scenery and the cinematography meshed perfectly with the story.
Towards the end, there was one longer scene which was pretty difficult to watch, but aside from that one I did not find it to be any sort of permanently damaging film mentally or anything along those lines. I do not reccommend it to anyone who only likes happy and uplifting films and who cannot bear to see anyone naked. The end of this film was so hopeless and hopeful all at once, something I cannot describe but that would make sense upon viewing it. Watching Shame was really a cinematic experience that I am glad to have had.
The superb acting was one of the many things that made this film so exceptional. Michael Fassbender, who most of you would recognize from either Jane Eyre or Haywire truly demonstrated his acting ability as the lead role in Shame. I cannot remember the last time my heart has ached in such a way for a character- you hate him so much for the way he treats his sister (beautifully portrayed by Carey Mulligan) and the way he uses women, but pity him so much for those same reasons. He is simply unable to connect in a normal way with another human being. Yet despite his immense flaws and major mistakes, you still want him to win and overcome his inner demons. His emotions are effortlessly etched in his face, and the audience has no choice but to feel exactly what he feels, and to hurt right along with him. Needless to say, it is an emotional experience to watch this film. I also enjoyed that New York City was not romanticized as it is in so many movies these days. I cannot exactly label myself an expert in NYC knowledge seeing as how I only spent a little over a day there. But I feel as though so many films these days make it out to be a perfect and magical place with no flaws, so I was glad that Shame portrayed the other side of things. The scenery and the cinematography meshed perfectly with the story.
Towards the end, there was one longer scene which was pretty difficult to watch, but aside from that one I did not find it to be any sort of permanently damaging film mentally or anything along those lines. I do not reccommend it to anyone who only likes happy and uplifting films and who cannot bear to see anyone naked. The end of this film was so hopeless and hopeful all at once, something I cannot describe but that would make sense upon viewing it. Watching Shame was really a cinematic experience that I am glad to have had.
Sounds messed up. But it happens
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