---
title: "Shame"
year: 2011
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/shame"
fi1m_id: "shame"
imdb_id: "tt1723811"
tmdb_id: 76025
wikidata_id: "Q909445"
fi1m_score: 74
critics_score: 69
critics_reviews: 17
published: "2026-09-15"
updated: "2026-09-18T08:38:37.820700+00:00"
region: "US"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Shame (2011)

Directed by Steve McQueen · 1h 42m · MPA NC-17 · Drama

## Identity

Shame

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/shame
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** shame
- **IMDb ID:** tt1723811
- **TMDB ID:** 76025
- **Wikidata ID:** Q909445
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1723811/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/76025, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q909445

**Fi1m score: 74** · Critics 69 from 17 reviews

*In a sentence:* Michael Fassbender makes a night alone look like something to be survived

> Steve McQueen’s *Shame* is a demanding drama worth seeing for Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan. They make Brandon and Sissy’s suffering hard to dismiss, though the script gives the siblings too little beyond it.

## Synopsis

Brandon (Michael Fassbender) lives in New York, where his life is organised around a compulsive need for sex. His routines keep him apart from other people even as he seeks physical contact. When his sister Sissy (Carey Mulligan) arrives, her presence interrupts the routines that allow him to keep people at a distance. Sissy needs attention and closeness, bringing demands that Brandon struggles to accommodate. Directed by Steve McQueen and written by McQueen and Abi Morgan, *Shame* follows the siblings as their conflicting needs disturb a life Brandon tries to keep under control.

## Review

Steve McQueen’s *Shame* is a good, troubling drama whose performances make up for some narrow writing. It follows Brandon, a New Yorker whose sexual compulsion has left him isolated, until his sister Sissy disrupts the life he has arranged around it. McQueen takes the repetition seriously: the sex provides no lasting satisfaction, and the film gives us little respite from the need for more. That severity suits the subject, although it eventually limits how much we learn about the man.

Fassbender makes Brandon’s physical exposure painful without asking us to admire the actor’s willingness to do it. We felt sorry for Brandon sooner than we expected, because Fassbender makes his pursuit of sex look exhausting from the start. There is little pleasure in it, and no suggestion that another encounter will be enough. The performance makes that repeated failure credible, even when the script has stopped finding anything new in it.

Carey Mulligan’s Sissy matters because her neediness makes a demand Brandon cannot deal with on his own terms. She gives that need enough force to interrupt the film’s careful composure, and her presence is welcome even when Sissy is difficult company. Together, the actors suggest hurts that the screenplay by McQueen and Abi Morgan declines to explain. Mulligan has to work hard to keep Sissy from becoming simply another difficulty for Brandon, and mostly succeeds.

Sean Bobbitt’s cinematography is exact and controlled, making New York seem a harsh place to spend time without anyone close. Judy Becker’s production design adds to that sense of sterility, giving Brandon surroundings that seem to offer him no comfort. The polish works because it helps us understand how thoroughly he has narrowed his life, though there are moments when the handsome compositions become distracting. The resulting New York can feel too carefully stripped of ordinary pleasure.

Joe Walker’s editing keeps us with that discomfort long enough for the repeated behaviour to become wearing. This is partly the point, but recognising a deliberate choice does not make every stretch rewarding. Harry Escott’s music is effective at sustaining unease, less so when it adds emphasis to suffering already clear in the performances. As the film becomes more insistent, we begin to feel the effort being made to distress us, and its quieter passages seem more convincing.

The chief problem lies in Morgan and McQueen’s screenplay, which keeps returning to Brandon’s anguish without giving it enough new detail. Refusing an easy explanation is sensible; a speech about the cause of his addiction would hardly improve matters. But the script asks the actors to make the siblings particular while keeping much of what might distinguish them out of reach. For an addiction drama so committed to watching closely, it is frustratingly reluctant to discover much beyond compulsion, isolation and the difficulty of accepting affection.

At 102 minutes, *Shame* makes substantial demands without quite justifying all of them. Fassbender and Mulligan give it enough human feeling to keep that severity from becoming merely punitive, and there is care in the way McQueen allows them to be difficult without making them ridiculous. It is worth the discomfort if two fine performances are enough to carry an evening this bleak.

*Fi1m score 74, published 15 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics respond positively to Shame, with the strongest agreement around Michael Fassbender’s performance as a man consumed by sexual compulsion. The reviews praise his physical frankness and ability to suggest emotional pain, while Carey Mulligan also draws strong notices. Steve McQueen’s controlled direction and carefully composed images earn respect even from several detractors. Supporters find the film’s restraint essential to its disturbing account of addiction and isolation, though enthusiasm for the acting is more consistent than confidence in the writing.

The spread is wide: what some critics find probing and humane, others find cold, shallow or moralising. Reservations centre on thin characterisation, withheld explanations and a tendency towards monotony or overstatement. Film Comment sees striking craft without sufficient reason to care, while Slant Magazine regards the minimalist storytelling as lazy. Even among favourable reviews, there are doubts about how much the film reveals beneath its accomplished surface.

## Straight answers

**Is Shame worth watching?**

*Shame* is worth watching for Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan, and we scored it 74. Steve McQueen's drama about a New Yorker's sexual compulsion is bleak and repetitive by design, and the script gives the siblings too little beyond their suffering. It suits viewers prepared for a demanding evening carried by two fine performances.

**How long is Shame, and what is it rated?**

*Shame* runs 1h 42m and is rated NC-17 by the MPA in the US. It is a drama film.

**Where can I watch Shame in the US?**

*Shame* is available to rent from Apple TV from $3.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is Shame, and is it suitable for children?**

*Shame* is certificated 18 in the UK and NC-17 in the US, and it is not suitable for children. The film is built around Brandon's compulsive sex life, with a great deal of nudity and sexual content that the review describes as exposing and painful rather than pleasurable. It is not violent or frightening in the horror sense, but its bleakness is unrelenting.

**How does Shame compare to The Lost Weekend?**

*Shame* and [*The Lost Weekend*](https://film.one/film/the-lost-weekend) both follow a New Yorker in the grip of compulsion, but Billy Wilder's film is the more direct drama, with less patience for concealment. *Shame* watches Brandon's routines closely without explaining them, and grows wearing as a result. The earlier film is the more honest and frightening of the two, though its final minutes ring false.

**What should I watch after Shame?**

After *Shame*, try [*The Piano Teacher*](https://film.one/film/the-piano-teacher) (2001, Fi1m 82): Sexual compulsion receives another unsparing examination, with little comfort and formidable acting. Then [*The Lost Weekend*](https://film.one/film/the-lost-weekend) (1945, Fi1m 82): Compulsive behaviour drives a more direct drama, with less patience for concealment; and [*Happy Together*](https://film.one/film/happy-together) (1997, Fi1m 86): For the volatile intimacy and the sense that company can make loneliness worse.

### Reviews we read (25)

- **Empire**, Damon Wise (85/100, inferred): An intellectually austere character study of sex addiction that is brave, beautifully acted and emotionally revealing, with a tour de force from Fassbender and strong support that leavens its rigours. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/shame-2-review/)
- **Little White Lies**, Adam Woodward (5/4/3): The critic finds the film raw, elegant and uncompromising as a companion piece to Hunger, but ultimately skin-deep in substance with a lack of stamina. McQueen and Fassbender's work is singled out for praise. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/shame)
- **Screen Daily** (80/100, inferred): The critic calls it provocative, beautifully directed and perfectly performed, a compulsive story of sexual addiction with magnificent central performances from Fassbender and Mulligan. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/shame/5031524.article)
- **Time Out**, Dave Calhoun (4/5): The critic sees it as a courageous, probing character study of a man whose sex drive is an outlet for deeper agonies, with steely, unflinching direction that avoids easy explanations. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/shame)
- **Radio Times**, Adam Smith (3/5): The critic notes it is powerfully acted and well directed, with the harsh New York setting standing out, but finds it focused heavily on Fassbender's physical presence. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-5g5hwr/shame/)
- **The Independent** (60/100, inferred): The film is a cold, calculated study of unassuageable lust in a New York sex addict whose sterile existence is disrupted by his needy sister. It is repellent but Fassbender's performance keeps it compelling despite the emotional nullity. [Read](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/shame-18-6288763.html)
- **Evening Standard** (40/100, inferred): McQueen delivers a highly organised and polished study of a sex addict, filmed with deliberate beauty and formal perfection, but the result is not erotic and oddly uninvolving, presenting the protagonist as an extreme, sermonised specimen. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/shame-review-7428224.html)
- **Film Comment**, Laura Kern (30/100, inferred): The film is an empty provocation that fails to deliver a payoff despite striking direction and photography. It drags viewers into a sordid, lonely world of sex addiction without sufficient reason to care. [Read](https://www.filmcomment.com/article/short-takes-shame-sleeping-beauty/)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Kenneth Turan: The dispassionate treatment of sexual addiction and its power lies in the restraint and unflinching style. Fassbender delivers a raw, commanding performance that reveals the character emotionally and physically. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-xpm-2011-dec-02-la-et-shame-20111202-story.html)
- **Slant Magazine**, Ed Gonzalez: The critic finds the film's understanding of an uninteresting man's sex addiction shallow and mundane, with a vibrant city rendered dull. The minimalist storytelling is seen as lazy rather than profound. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/shame/)
- **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw: The critic describes Steve McQueen's follow-up to Hunger as an icily compulsive portrait of damaged siblings and sex addiction. It praises the brilliant performances by Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan along with McQueen's superb technique in creating a horrible inferno of neurosis and dysfunction. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2012/jan/12/shame-film-review-fassbender)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, Todd McCarthy: The critic praises Michael Fassbender's brilliant, ferocious performance as a sex addict and the film's dramatic and stylistic prowess that provides a bracing cinematic jolt. However, it may prove too psychologically pat in confronting the subject's problem. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/shame-film-review-231114/)
- **The New Yorker**, Anthony Lane: The director presents a pure, pitiless, and oddly disapproving view of the protagonist's uncontrollable sex addiction in New York. The result is a busy, explicit portrait that leaves the character shattered by his habits. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/12/05/hot-and-bothered-anthony-lane)
- **The New York Times**, A.O. Scott: The film portrays sex addiction as a compulsive, joyless need that isolates its protagonist. McQueen's serious effort is noted but falls short in fully conveying visual pleasure alongside existential misery. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/02/movies/shame-directed-by-steve-mcqueen-review.html)
- **Variety**, Justin Chang: McQueen fearlessly explores the depths of sexual addiction with a rigorous, humane gaze on the body and compulsion. Fassbender's unself-conscious, transfixing performance anchors this uncompromising drama. [Read](https://variety.com/2011/film/markets-festivals/shame-1117945959/)
- **HeyUGuys**, Jon Lyus (5/5): The critic calls it a powerful and provocative film that is raw and explicit in its handling of addiction, fueled by an astonishing performance from Michael Fassbender and confident direction from Steve McQueen. [Read](https://www.heyuguys.com/lff-2011-shame-review/)
- **Digital Spy**, Simon Reynolds (90/100, inferred): An intense, emotional thunderbolt of a movie and high-impact cinema that lingers long after viewing. Exceptional direction and career-best performances from Fassbender and Mulligan make it breathtaking and unsettling. [Read](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a348627/shame-review/)
- **The Playlist** (85/100, inferred): The critic describes it as a fascinating follow-up to Hunger with a tour-de-force performance from Michael Fassbender, praising the film's portrait of sexual addiction and strong supporting turns. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/review-steve-mcqueens-shame-a-fascinating-follow-up-to-hunger-with-a-tour-de-force-from-michael-fassbender-20111129/)
- **Collider**, Matt Goldberg (B+): The critic calls the film a devastating powerhouse thanks to McQueen's confident direction and Fassbender's heartbreaking lead performance as a sex addict. It examines the pain of emotional isolation without becoming preachy. [Read](https://collider.com/shame-movie-review/)
- **NME**, Owen Nicholls (80/100, inferred): A think piece destined to cause debate that stays with you, serving as a great advertisement for British film. It offers sympathy for its protagonist through Fassbender's moving performance amid some occasional faults. [Read](https://www.nme.com/blogs/the-movies-blog/shame-film-review-780571)
- **Eye for Film**, Amber Wilkinson (75/100, inferred): The critic highlights Fassbender and Mulligan's white-hot central performances and McQueen's masterfully measured direction of appetites and control, while noting the narrative arc leads to a somewhat overblown physical climax. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/shame-2011-film-review-by-amber-wilkinson)
- **Den of Geek**, Toby Neilson (3/5): A flawed film saved by strong performances from Fassbender and Mulligan, but lacking substance despite impressive imagery and style. It starts promisingly but becomes monotonous and pretentious. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/shame-review/)
- **The Skinny**, Philip Concannon (3/5): The cyclical nature of addiction is vividly realised with frank confidence and strong lead performances, especially Fassbender. It threatens to unbalance in its more operatic latter stages but has plenty to admire in quieter moments. [Read](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/shame)
- **The Wrap** (40/100, inferred): The critic finds the film an undernourished drama that is likely to leave viewers puzzled and unsatisfied despite its subject matter. They single out the handsome, carefully composed visuals and Fassbender's intense lead performance for praise while faulting the elliptical and incomplete plot. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/review-even-all-sex-shame-will-leave-you-unsatisfied-33224/)
- **Paste**, Jonah Flicker (9.0): The review praises the film as effective, emotional, and seductive, highlighting McQueen's skill in drawing nuanced performances and creating striking visuals. It centers on the cold, anonymous nature of compulsive sex in a yuppie Manhattan setting. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/shame)

## Details

- **Director:** Steve McQueen
- **Director:** Steve McQueen
- **Screenplay:** Abi Morgan, Steve McQueen
- **Cinematography:** Sean Bobbitt
- **Editor:** Joe Walker
- **Music:** Harry Escott
- **Production design:** Judy Becker
- **Producer:** Iain Canning, Emile Sherman
- **Cast:** Michael Fassbender as Brandon; Carey Mulligan as Sissy; James Badge Dale as David; Nicole Beharie as Marianne; Lucy Walters as Woman on Subway Train; Mari-Ange Ramirez as Alexa; Alex Manette as Steven; Hannah Ware as Samantha
- **Runtime:** 1h 42m
- **Certificate (MPA):** NC-17
- **Release (the US):** 2 December 2011
- **Genres:** Drama
- **Budget:** $6 million
- **Box office:** $4 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Op9iQiB_ANI

## Where to watch in the US

- Apple TV: rent $3.99, hd
- Apple TV: buy $4.99, hd

*Checked 2026-09-15.*

Also available in: AT, AU, BE, CH, CL, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, GB, IE, IT, JP, NL, NO, NZ, SE, TR, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## Awards

- European Film Award for Best Actor 2012: European Film Award for Best Actor (nominated)
- European Film Award for Best Cinematographer 2012: European Film Award for Best Cinematographer (won)
- European Film Award for Best Director 2012: European Film Award for Best Director (nominated)
- European Film Award for Best Editor 2012: European Film Award for Best Editor (won)
- European Film Award for Best Film 2012: European Film Award for Best Film (nominated)
- European Film Award – People's Choice Award for Best European Film 2012: European Film Award – People's Choice Award for Best European Film (nominated)

## If you liked this

- *The Piano Teacher* (2001), Fi1m 82: Sexual compulsion receives another unsparing examination, with little comfort and formidable acting. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-piano-teacher.md)
- *Oslo, August 31st* (2011): A quieter day with addiction, loneliness and the effort of appearing ordinary.
- *The Lost Weekend* (1945), Fi1m 82: Compulsive behaviour drives a more direct drama, with less patience for concealment. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-lost-weekend.md)
- *Happy Together* (1997), Fi1m 86: For the volatile intimacy and the sense that company can make loneliness worse. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/happy-together.md)
- *The Fire Within* (1963): Another troubled man moves through a city, struggling to reach the people nearby.

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/shame