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.
E
Empire
3 January 2012 · Damon Wise
85*
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.
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.
The critic calls it provocative, beautifully directed and perfectly performed, a compulsive story of sexual addiction with magnificent central performances from Fassbender and Mulligan.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
4 September 2011 · festival review · 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Ordered by the weight we give each publication, then by score. Scores are normalised to 100; * means inferred from an unrated review. Summaries are ours, not quotations; follow the links for the reviews themselves. How we rate
