After the brilliant and extremely powerful film both Steve McQueen and Michael Fassbender delivered in the form of Hunger, expectations were high for their follow-up. Most critics if not all agree that while different, Shame is the result of yet another brilliant and powerful collaboration.

In the film, Michael Fassbender plays a successful businessman in New York City named Brandon who also happens to have a sex addiction. He masturbates and watches all kinds of porn on a daily basis, and also has a lot of sex with numerous prostitutes. His life is meticulously controlled and arranged in such a way that he can maintain and satisfy his addiction. But it consequently gets disrupted when his estranged sister Sissy (Carey Mulligan) drops by unannounced proclaiming she’ll stay indefinitely.

To say Shame is one of the most powerful films I have seen in a long time would be a huge understatement. Much like Steve McQueen did with Hunger, he goes full out with Shame showing the complete extent and increasingly self-destructive nature of sex addiction. McQueen presents this addiction in its rawest sense showcasing not only a lot of graphic sex and nudity, but also the personal toll it inflicts. His use of mostly long takes give the film a palpable sense of realism and intimacy that otherwise would not have been present with another director. McQueen handles it with care and honesty.

Fassbender again gives himself up completely to McQueen in Shame and delivers another truly remarkable, career-defining and Oscar-worthy performance. The opening shot is of Fassbender lying in bed looking upwards, and I’m not sure what is it exactly but there is something really haunting and endearing about his facial expression that I can’t get out of my head. It’s really impressive and at times mind-blowing how he inhabits the role so perfectly. He does it to such an extent that we completely forget about the actor and his charismatic persona. The character of Brandon is one filled with inner conflict and vulnerability, and Fassbender conveys those emotions and issues so well that sometimes it becomes difficult/uncomfortable to watch.

At the end of they day though, one has to stand up and cheer/cry at the level of commitment Fassbender brings to the role, especially the physicality of it. He has a lot of sex scenes in the film and what I found really interesting about them is the contrast between certain scenes. There’s a scene in which he attempts to have normal and emotive sex with a woman we all know he likes, but to see him fail because of his addiction is really sad. He is used to very depersonalized sex with women and he is unable to function in the face of genuine care or emotions. I really hope he gets an Oscar nomination for his performance here, he has truly earned it.

Similarly brilliant but to a lesser extent is the always magnificent Carey Mulligan. She has reached a new career high with her portrayal of Sissy. Much like Fassbender’s character, Sissy is also a highly conflicted person filled with never-ending issues but unlike him she does not hide her emotions. Sissy genuinely cares for his brother and is worried for him, which makes their difficult and clashing relationship that much more compelling and sad. I was also very impressed by how gritty and worn-down she looks in the film, it easily washes away her somewhat clean image. It will be a crime if Carey Mulligan doesn’t get an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress, especially since her performance for last year’s Never Let Me Go was wrongfully overlooked.

Shame is a really great film that will grab a hold of your heart, tear it in a million pieces, and then stomp on them. The emotional toll that is watching these characters’ lives and interactions is astounding and overwhelming at times. It is a progressively bleak film with genuine portrayals of addiction and failure to connect with others. Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan both give career defining, heart-breaking and powerhouse performances that need to be recognized and awarded. Steve McQueen has again delivered a powerful film and while in my opinion Shame is not the masterpiece or as poetic as Hunger is, it still is nevertheless a brilliant follow-up.

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