--- title: "Shame: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/shame/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/shame" critics_score: 69 critics_reviews: 17 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): what the critics said Critics' score 69 from 17 reviews: 10 positive, 4 mixed, 3 negative. 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. ## Empire — Damon Wise Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 3 January 2012. 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 the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/shame-2-review/) ## Little White Lies — Adam Woodward Rating 5/4/3. 13 January 2012. 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 the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/shame) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 4 September 2011. Festival review. 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 the review](https://www.screendaily.com/shame/5031524.article) ## Time Out — Dave Calhoun Rating 4/5. 4 September 2011. 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 the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/shame) ## Radio Times — Adam Smith Rating 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 the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-5g5hwr/shame/) ## The Independent Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 13 January 2012. 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 the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/shame-18-6288763.html) ## Evening Standard Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 10 April 2012. 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 the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/shame-review-7428224.html) ## Film Comment — Laura Kern Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 1 November 2011. 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 the review](https://www.filmcomment.com/article/short-takes-shame-sleeping-beauty/) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan 2 December 2011. 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 the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-xpm-2011-dec-02-la-et-shame-20111202-story.html) ## Slant Magazine — Ed Gonzalez 7 October 2011. 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 the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/shame/) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw 12 January 2012. 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 the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2012/jan/12/shame-film-review-fassbender) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Todd McCarthy 4 September 2011. Festival review. 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 the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/shame-film-review-231114/) ## The New Yorker — Anthony Lane 28 November 2011. 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 the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/12/05/hot-and-bothered-anthony-lane) ## The New York Times — A.O. Scott 1 December 2011. 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 the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/02/movies/shame-directed-by-steve-mcqueen-review.html) ## Variety — Justin Chang 4 September 2011. Festival review. 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 the review](https://variety.com/2011/film/markets-festivals/shame-1117945959/) ## HeyUGuys — Jon Lyus Rating 5/5. 17 October 2011. Festival review. 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 the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/lff-2011-shame-review/) ## Digital Spy — Simon Reynolds Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 9 January 2012. 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 the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a348627/shame-review/) ## The Playlist Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 29 November 2011. 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 the review](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 Rating B+. 1 December 2011. 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 the review](https://collider.com/shame-movie-review/) ## NME — Owen Nicholls Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 11 January 2012. 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 the review](https://www.nme.com/blogs/the-movies-blog/shame-film-review-780571) ## Eye for Film — Amber Wilkinson Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 25 October 2011. 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 the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/shame-2011-film-review-by-amber-wilkinson) ## Den of Geek — Toby Neilson Rating 3/5. 12 January 2012. 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 the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/shame-review/) ## The Skinny — Philip Concannon Rating 3/5. 9 January 2012. 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 the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/shame) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 1 December 2011. 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 the review](https://www.thewrap.com/review-even-all-sex-shame-will-leave-you-unsatisfied-33224/) ## Paste — Jonah Flicker Rating 9.0. 30 November 2011. 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 the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/shame) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/shame.md