So much average

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

The acting in this movie is really good.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

ShameIt is not easy to set up a dark tone with few verbal sequences focuing on a character (almost) and still hold the audience throughout the course of it. The screen writers tend to use good old formula of a "routine" to project the thoughts of the characters which comes off a bit lazy as one can always try and visit some new territories. Steve McQueen is the savior in here, since it requires tremendous effort to pull off a character driven feature which normally the director fails to do so. Michael Fassbender is the key that helps opening the door of this dark room where Carey Mulligan successfully helps the audience to put some light in it. Shame stays true to its raw brutal tone and offers the implanted seed on appropriate time but the scrutiny is kept way too secretive and convoluted that the audience gets busy on unlocking it but unfortunately fails to connect with it.

Tackling a subject as dark and grim as porn addiction can be extremely difficult. You risk delving into just straight up porn, to completely alienating your audience because of the extreme subject matter. This does it pretty damn well though. Fassbender does a really good job as this silent, suave, lady's man who really has a dark side he's ashamed of. Similar to a Patrick Bateman like character, a person who puts on a facade in order to keep up appearances, but on the inside is way more twisted. It does the subject justice, it's not just sex for the sake of having sex, and I respect that. It shows that addiction doesn't just affect the person doing it, but the people around them too. It's a drug, and it's hard to stop. On a personal note, I've been trying to distance myself from porn as well, and it's freakin' hard. I wouldn't say I'm as hooked as Fassbender is here, but I find myself having that itch, and I need to get through it. Would I see this again, no, but I did enjoy the movie, and would recommend it to someone who wants to see an NC-17 movie that isn't just for shock value.

'Shame' is a dull and uninteresting film that thinks it's a lot better than it actually is. It features minimal dialogue, extended scenes of nothing and a shallow story attempting to pass off as intellectual and deep. The film is directionless and completely unrewarding from the audience's perspective. What's in this film for the viewer? It's certainly not entertainment.Some people will view 'Shame' as art and will say that those who see it in a different light must have 'misunderstood' it. This is a telltale sign of pretentious filmmaking, and 'Shame' is exactly that. It's a film that attempts to say something deep and profound, but spends so much time admiring itself that it ends up saying nothing at all.

In Shame (2011) the core of the plot is the life of Brandon (Fassbender), and his addiction to sex and pornography. It would be easy to explore this film with controversial and explicit scenes, but Steve focuses on showing the emotions, the loneliness and the details of this existential emptiness that is present in the protagonist's life, this emotional chaos extends with an indefinite time visit of his sister. Which also seems destined for self-destruction. With another magnificent performance from Fassbender, it's a powerful, intense and yet another beautiful work by Steve McQueen.