SHAME - Film Review

There's nothing inherently wrong with pornography.

There, I said it. A little kinkiness every now and then never hurt anybody. Unless, of course, you're into that. Human beings are naturally curious. We're also, naturally sexual. So when you put those two things together, it's only natural that we should be curious about each others sexuality. That's a good thing.

But it is possible to have too much of a good thing.

Like alcohol, pornography has a way of sucking you in. You take one sip, you feel fine. You take two, even better. Pretty soon, you find yourself wanting more and more. Then needing more and more. Even long after you've forgotten how it even tastes, you find yourself using it out of habit.

And as with any narcotic, once you get used to a certain thing, you find yourself needing to find harder and harder drugs to keep the same high. Pretty soon, the pornography you started with just doesn't do the trick anymore. So you have to keep looking for different outlets. Different stimulus. You suddenly find yourself turning to images and fantasies you may never have even dreamt of just to get back to normal. Pretty soon, this sexual narcotic has taken an effect on your life. No, you're not likely to find yourself shaking in the corner without your daily dose, but it can have an affect on your relationships and how you see the world. And if you're not careful, there may be no turning back.

Such is the case with Brandon Sullivan (Michael Fassbender), a Manhattan suit who's so deep into pornography that his work computer is for a time confiscated for being "filthy."

As a side note, I've always considered that to be the true sign of addiction to porn. If you can't get through the work day without a little taste, it may be time to get help. Oh, and how good must he be at his job that this isn't a fire-able offense?

But I digress. The fact is that Michael's entire life could be termed "filthy." When not surfing the naughty web, he fills his days and nights with frivolous sexual encounters. Even though one of the perks of looking like Michael Fassbender is that those encounters are plentiful, he still can never seem to get enough. Like a hungry child, trying to stuff his face with sweets in an effort to get full, he's missing the main ingredient, sustenance. He's got the quantity, but not the quality. And that's how he likes it. Like the impersonal skin flicks which he uses for his arousal, Michael sees sex as a carnal expression devoid of emotion. His longest "relationship" has been four months. From what we see, most of his sexual encounters don't last more than four minutes. Just enough time to serve the purpose.

It be easy from that description to draw that Michael was a truly despicable guy. But if we look deeper, we understand the reasons for his erotic dependence. A fear of intimacy. Like an alcoholic tossing back shots to dull the pain, Michael sees sex as an emotional antibiotic. These brief sexual trysts are in fact the only vacation he has from the pain of simply being him. Sex with emotion robs him of that safety zone. Love is too close for him. Love means pain. So when people threaten to get too close to his heart, he pushes them away.

At least he tries to. But some people just can't take a hint. That includes Sissy Sullivan (a once again terrific Carey Mulligan), Michael's sister who appears in town to throw his life into chaos. Not that it wasn't chaotic before, but her sheer existence seems to make him angry. The cool and collected Michael is a raging bundle of emotions around his sister. When his sleaze of a boss, David Fisher (James Badge Dale) makes a play for Sissy, Michael can barely contain himself. In excess of brotherly protection, Michael's resentment from seeing Sissy with another man seems to run deeper. While it is never known for sure, we suspect that Michael's relationship with Sissy may be at the root of his intimacy issues. When she climbs into his bed at night to snuggle, his discomfort is palpable. When she stands before him bare in the shower, one can't help but wonder what is going through his mind. And in Carey Mulligan's affecting performance, we suspect that the same thing may be running through her mind as well. At times, it seems as if the adventurous black sheep is almost baiting him. As if she knows the effect she has on him and is constantly searching for more. Sissy has a way of using love to salve her own wounds. And Michael's affection seems to be the medication she seeks the most.

Have Michael and Sissy ever been intimate? We don't know. But her effect on him is undeniable.

So is the effect of this film. I suspect that at least half of the audience members at the screening I attended were sick to their stomachs by the time the story ended. They, no doubt, saw the film as just another cheap exploitation of taboo. It made them uncomfortable, and they no doubt resented it.

But if you look deeper, you'll see the beauty in the film, and especially Michael Fassbender's performance. It is a character study of addiction. A man who seems so in control, but all the time is spinning out of it. We understand the root cause, even if we don't know the exact details. And director Steve McQueen, definitely one to watch, allows us to linger inside Michael's emotions. Through mostly a combination of brilliantly chosen one-shots, he allows us to contemplate Michael's inner turmoil. Michael's actions are not those of a pervert. They are the actions of an addict. A man filled with pain who tries to cure himself in the best way he can. But will the very cure lead to his own destruction?