Shame

This is probably the toughest film to watch that came out this whole year, excluding "Human Centipede 2." The film is powerful and delves deep into the emotions of a mentally tortured sex addict and his lonely sister. The film is extremely sad and depressing. It is hard to watch this story unfold although it is done to near perfection. Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan give riveting performances. It is a shame, no pun intended, that Fassbender was not nominated for an Academy Award because he is way more deserving than Demian Bichir and Gary Oldman. He is completely immersed into his destroyed character who cannot have sex romantically but only as a physical routine for pure selfishness. I wonder how people struggling with this problem feel when watching this distraught and helpless character when they are going through similar or the same difficulties. How do audiences that are filled with shame see this. Is it a wake up call? Like I said, this movie is hard to watch. It is rated NC-17, which is a rating that is very rarely given or accepted by studios. Most theaters and retail stores will not carry NC-17 rated movies and I understand why. The film at times feels like straight pornography. The sex in this film is extremely graphic. I understand that the filmmakers want to show the extremities of the character's addiction but I even thought this was too much. The sex is not erotic or attractive it is ugly and unemotional. Even though this may be the case I felt like they did not need to show so much. It goes over the top even though I see the point of it. Obviously, this film is not for everyone. It is emotionally and sexually graphic and hard to handle. The film makes you think and it leaves you depressed. The film is not for the feint of heart and I believe if you struggle with any sexual problems like addiction you should not view this film. In its portrayal of sexual addiction it only makes itself a stumbling block to those who are dealing with a sexual addiction. This movie should only be viewed by mature audiences who do not struggle with lust. I admit with hindsight, I probably should not have watched this film. It shows the disgusting struggles of sexual addiction and may be too much for some. The ending is perfect and the movie is directed seemlessly by Steve McQueen. I cannot wait to see more of his challenging films.

4.5 out of 5 Stars