With the allure of a big city come temptations. These temptations are easier for some more than others to resist. But with sex, drugs and liquor that are prevalent in city life, escaping from these vices becomes increasingly difficult, ensnaring a person in a world of lust, addiction and deceit.
In Steve McQueen’s latest film, “Shame,” he offers a depiction of the life of a sex addict in New York City.
Lead actor Michael Fassbender (“X-Men: First Class”) plays Brandon, a typical 30-something-year-old in corporate America living the big city life. But Brandon is hiding a dark secret that he is ashamed of — he’s addicted to sex.
Brandon is able to hide his addiction through the secret life he lives. But his life starts to unravel with the arrival of his little sister Sissy (Carey Mulligan, “An Education”).
Sissy’s life is the mirror image of Brandon’s, but in a more conspicuous way. Whereas Brandon is able to hide all his flaws and the dark secret of his sex addiction, McQueen uses Sissy’s character as the catalyst that unravels Brandon’s secret life and reveals the intricacies and problems of leading a life where you feel that you have no control.
Mulligan’s character is essential to portraying the storm that goes on in Brandon’s mind as he tries to hide his true self from those around him. Sissy is depicted as a mess who, just like her older brother Brandon, enjoys indulging in sex and living a carefree life.
Whereas Brandon has it together on the outside, the Sissy’s instability mirrors Brandon’s inner turmoil and, if anything, is the more stable of the two, because she is honest with who she is and the problems in her life.
Tastefully using raw images of nudity, McQueen takes the audience deep into the life of Brandon. For those who are wary of the NC-17 rating, the nudity in the film is perfectly placed and helps to situate viewers in the crazy world of a sex addict. It is not pornographic, but tasteful and crucial in order to depict the world in which a nymphomaniac lives.
The film illustrates just how complex the human mind is. Brandon leads two lives as he tries to portray himself as a guy who has it all. But although those around him believe his lie, the one person he cannot lie to is himself.
