Shame
68 user reviews
7.6
/10
| Average votes grouped by age and by sex: | |||||||
| Age: | 1-12 | 13-17 | 18-25 | 26-35 | 36-49 | 50+ | Total |
| Men: Votes: |
- 0 |
- 0 |
8.3 3 |
6.5 6 |
7.9 16 |
6.2 12 |
7.2 37 |
| Women: Votes: |
- 0 |
- 0 |
8.5 4 |
8.9 8 |
8.8 10 |
7.6 5 |
8.6 27 |
| Total: Votes: |
- 0 |
- 0 |
8.4 7 |
7.4 16 |
8.2 26 |
6.8 18 |
7.6 68 |
| Total includes those who didn't specify sex. | |||||||
Reviews from 1 to 50 (total: 68)
It was kinda disturbing and too many nudity scenes but then again the movie's called Shame so what ya expect! I somehow, Did not care for it.
| 6/10 | shazjoao@ - 1748 reviews 14.4.2013 |
[ATTENTION: This review reveals content of the movie.]
Very graphic movie about how abuse can affect children later on when they become adults. The graphic nudity and sex scenes will be disturbing to some. Movie was just OK but Carey Mulligan was great, Michael Fassbender was exceptional. The movie would not be the same without them. Mulligan does a nice job singing " New York, New York " in a key scene.
| 6/10 | mwhal@ - 109 reviews 4.7.2012 - age: 36-49 |
What an amazing movie! Michael Fassbender is incredible, Carey Mulligan is great as always. Fassbender makes Brandon's character so likeable, vulnerable that you can't help but be on his side, no matter what he does, how many mistakes he makes. Very powerfull movie, about sexual addiction as much as it is about how our childhood has an impact on the rest of our lives. The real Shame is that Fassbender was NOT NOMINATED FOR AN OSCAR...
| 9/10 | krayzie_lady@ - 224 reviews 20.6.2012 - age: 18-25 |
Although this is certainly not the type of film to watch with your sweetheart on a Saturday night, it is a hard-hitting, deeply depressing expose into the life of a sex-addict. Michael Fassbender is simply brilliant, delivering as brave and honest a portrayal of a damaged man as anything I've seen since Nic Cage in Leaving Las Vegas. There is very little dialogue and the haunting piano score throughout the film is very effective. I can't say that you'll enjoy it, but for those that can take it, this is a film that must been seen.
| 8/10 | jfichaud@ - 100 reviews 16.5.2012 - age: 26-35 |
Captivating movie. Really different from what you'd expect to see. The characters, the plot, the end, all fit very well with the title. Not for everyone but definitely worth the rental.
| 8/10 | sacoca_@ - 656 reviews 20.4.2012 - age: 26-35 |
[ATTENTION: This review reveals content of the movie.]
Finally, a film that tells the truth about one man's life. This is superbly acted, real, believable story about a man's life and his sister's life. It tells the truth about how many of us wear masks, and when tragedy hits we're forced to look at the truth about what we're really feeling. Michael Fassbender is gorgeous and it's so moving to see a man cry and break just like the rest of us.
| 9/10 | eye.mind@ - 2 reviews 9.3.2012 - age: 36-49 |
Very poor story line and besides dragging out I was happy it was only 1hr 39 min. The sex scenes were okay but even those became too much afterward because you felt so sorry for him. If you want to feel worse after seeing a movie then go to this one.
| 3/10 | robertsmith@ - first review 1.3.2012 - age: 50+ |
[ATTENTION: This review reveals content of the movie.]
I get why it had to be graphic but I still thought it was too graphic. They could have put more effort into the dialogue. Still that's okay, you can get past that. The let down was in the movie ending without any indication that the character has found resolution... he takes off crying, okay, but will be able to correct his life or not?
| 6/10 | gacar017@ - 62 reviews 29.2.2012 - age: 26-35 |
[ATTENTION: This review reveals content of the movie.]
I walked out of this movie wondering if I loved it or hated it. This is a story of two characters that are filled with shame. Michael Fassbender's character feels shame when he looks at a woman on a train or relieving himself. It is not until the end of the movie, during the last sexual encounter he realizes he has an addiction. In the end, he is crying because he now understands he has a problem and like any addict realizes, it's just not the same any more.
| 7/10 | dee@ - 8 reviews 28.2.2012 - age: 50+ |
I won advanced screening tickets to see this thanks to Cinema Clock, and while I usually like a film more than I would normally at special screenings, I left the theater very disappointed. It would have been so much more meaningful if the characters had a back story. I didn't emotionally connect with them at all. And while I understand the subject matter is difficult to tackle, I think Steve McQueen missed the mark during a few points. Would be interesting to see what this film would have been like if he was a bit more of an experienced director.
| 5/10 | katiewack@ - 3 reviews 25.2.2012 - age: 18-25 |
This movie is an amazing example of how abused children function as adults. Both brother and sister are different in their dysfunctions and coping mechanisms, but are the same in that both cannot connect with others on a deeper, more personal level, without self-destructing. A few laughs throughout make the serious nature of the subject matter tolerable. Hauntingly accurate portrayal of an abused brother and sister.
| 10/10 | stanlee@ - 104 reviews 15.2.2012 - age: 36-49 |
I can't get this movie out of my head (or my stomach... it's gut wrenching) Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan's performances took the viewer to another level, a dark, dank, lonely world where one's inner demons rule the day. Brandon's inability to connect with another human being on any level was eerily disturbing. The entire cast was outstanding, from the annoying nervous waiter in the restaurant ( Robert Montano), to the very conflicted woman on the subway, (Lucy Walters) Sean Bobbitt's cinematography was graphic and cold, a perfect fit for the movie. My thanks to Steve McQueen for sharing this with us. Warning... don't operate any heavy machinery after viewing this movie.
| 10/10 | karen@ - first review 5.2.2012 - age: 50+ |
One of the worst movies I have seen in a long time! The movie DESPERATELY tries to seem "intellectual", philosophical, deep, and all that. But at the end, sadly, it is just a big phony show-off. The acting is not that bad, but worst of the worst, it does not have ANY story... no beginning, no end, very slow and boring. If I wanna make an analogy, it is like a redneck villager wearing a barrett hat, a beard, and a pair of eye glasses, trying to look like a French artist! I suggest you spend your time watching a good porn instead of this.
| 1/10 | shervance@ - first review 4.2.2012 - age: 26-35 |
Michael Fassbender and Carey Mullingan pulled it off. It's not an easy story yet their performances are flawless. The subjects touched are often avoided but in this case they are explored. How far can you push someone until you break them? What makes people the way they are? What are you willing to overlook or forgive? When do you stop taking care of someone to save yourself?
| 8/10 | ferling100@ - 47 reviews 31.1.2012 - age: 26-35 |
WOW!!! An excellent film, great performances by both Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan and just great scenes after scene after scene. I just loved this movie.
| 9/10 | llme09@ - 45 reviews 31.1.2012 - age: 18-25 |
[ATTENTION: This review reveals content of the movie.]
After watching SHAME which events happened in New York, I concluded that the spirit, the soul or whatever you want to call it is way way stronger than any sexuality in mankind. The sister of the Main Character Michael Fassbender, Carey Mulligan sings her own rendition of "NEW YORK NEW YORK" and Fassbender feels it so deep inside his vacuity (life is all about sex) that tears start falling down his eyes. But even when his friend at the restaurant congratulates Carey with a BRAVO!!! Fassbender's comment was only: "It was good!" and nothing else and I believe that in this instance of the movie he feels shame. That's what really the movie is all about: SHAME of emptiness, in-satisfaction, meaning, finding solace only in the act of sex but in nothing else. That is where the conflict resides. He is indeed a troubled man who won't admit it because he is hooked by the bait (mainly sexual that women embody) It is his addiction that rules his very life. Even though he rejected to see his sister as an object of desire She goes to his bed and embraces his back, he kicks her out, it is there that the dichotomy (Body-Soul-Consciousness) appears even when she tries close encounters with him. There is also sexual ambivalence in him regarding genre. He is verbally abusive towards her. Rejection guilt remorse awareness of the consequences of his actions empathy with at least one of his victims close to him. A hint of end of the hunt then when his sister's life is in danger something seems to click and something seems to stop, maybe it's the beginning of the end of the urge to hunt. Carey Mulligan is breathtaking and adorable.
| 9/10 | blackcat401@ - 45 reviews 30.1.2012 - age: 36-49 |
I thought Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan's performances perfectly captured the spiritual emptiness of so many individuals these days. The ennui and the rootless affluence of so many people is reflected in their inability to connect to themselves or each other in a loving way. I am fortunate to live in an area that welcomes thought provoking films to our local theatre. I think a lot of people are going to miss out on some terrific filmmaking because of the restrictive rating and that is the real shame.
| 10/10 | morriscaudill@ - first review 30.1.2012 - age: 36-49 |
What Steve McQueen is trying to accomplish in this movie can only be respected. He does a lot with the idea of a sex-addiction and proves it to be just as real and haunting as any other drug. It is in no way a sick man's fantasy on big screen, it will take you, it will move you, and it will leave you. The movie did seem a bit too long even being 1:38, with some scenes begging to be cut and re-edited. The real gem of the movie is Fassbender himself, whose performance was just astounding. The amount of emotional baggage carried through facial expressions, and body language by far surpasses his words. I believe he deserves an Oscar. Mulligan does also a fantastic role as his damaged and confused sister. The chemistry between the two characters is done extremely well, leaving you wondering about where these kids grew up, and where did it all go so wrong. The ending leaves you begging for more, but not in a good way. It leaves certain questions unanswered, and doesn't bring a whole lot of emotional closure, as movies of this type tend to. This is in no way a "feel good" movie, nor is it parents friendly. It is a dark and hollowing story of a sex-addict who just can’t kick his habit which is eating at him from the inside. If you are willing to overlook several minor directorial mistakes, and can be entertained solely by phenomenal acting, and thought provocation, then definitely check it out.
| 7/10 | cool_ozzyfromkalush@ - 7 reviews 30.1.2012 - age: 18-25 |
Showing a lot of skin and sex should be enough for this movie to do well. The acting is good, the story is pointless, slow, boring. A lot of things happen, but it's clear after a while that all this is going nowhere, and that there will be no way to end it all.
| 6/10 | beachandtennis@ - 242 reviews 26.1.2012 - age: 50+ |
Riveting performances by Fassbender and Mulligan... lots of haunting silence (great movie to hear patrons popcorn crunching), despair-ridden facial expressions, scenes that beg to be edited, a velvety full-length rendition of Sinatra's "New York" song, unconscionable character of Brandon nailed to the core, a smashed moral-compass of a sister; toss in a bush-whacked ending and you have a cinematic salad that may cause emotional indigestion. Be warned: it is not entertaining, it is however engrossing. Like watching a train wreck in slow motion.
| 7/10 | gunngunn@ - 6 reviews 19.1.2012 - age: 26-35 |
Great movie. A reflexion on today's society, very well filmed, charged with tension, subtilities & emotions. Artistic.
| 9/10 | dj-dreamz@ - first review 18.1.2012 - age: 26-35 |
I've never seen a film so well put together. In most films you will find that simply a story will be told, with the shots, dialogue, acting and all other component helping it along. However, in this breathtaking journey through sex addiction everything comes together so sharply and finely that it feels as though a laser of storytelling is piercing you. It left me feeling violated, sympathetic, sensitive, disturbed and generally vulnerable to the tragedy that may occur in one's life. A must see in film. Do not shy away from its intimidation. Fassbender deserves an Oscar. As does the director and picture itself.
| 9/10 | martinstorykapusta@ - 4 reviews 18.1.2012 - age: 18-25 |
[ATTENTION: This review reveals content of the movie.]
I really enjoyed this movie. It's psychologically complex and nuanced. It's really about two people who are dead inside, you use sex and cutting themselves to feel alive, to feel something. Riveting performances by Fassbender and Mulligan. It's a difficult film to watch, but so intriguing to decipher.
| 9/10 | torontolovin@ - 4 reviews 17.1.2012 - age: 26-35 |
A good film doesn't need to end well. This movie, which needs to be attentively watched, is a masterpiece. It explores one of the aspects of sex addiction. Even if there wasn't a lot of dialogue, what was said is enough to understand the story. Thus, I loved the movie and the cast.
| 10/10 | patrice@ - 2 reviews 16.1.2012 - age: 18-25 |
Can't say I "enjoyed" it, but Michael Fassbender should win an Oscar for his performance.
| 9/10 | abubb@ - 14 reviews 15.1.2012 - age: 50+ |
A must-see! Slow, provocative and very, very powerful.
| 10/10 | grcho79@ - first review 14.1.2012 - age: 26-35 |
Probably the best acting I have seen by the two principals. Little dialogue, but excruciatingly painful nuances of expression relate the demons of two broken siblings. There is no positive outcome for the vast majority of people who find themselves dysfunctional from abuse of one kind or another. The source of the dysfunction is not the issue here, which gives the movie even broader appeal. A powerful, powerful movie.
| 9/10 | glegh@ - 78 reviews 14.1.2012 - age: 50+ |
In my opinion, the only Shame is having produced this film. The story goes nowhere and the characters aren’t appealing. The promos talk about a new Last tango in Paris. I think not. Many times I considered walking out but I toughed it out.
| 5/10 | o6numbersix@ - 76 reviews 11.1.2012 - age: 50+ |
It may be simply a question of taste but I didn't like this movie so it is hard to rate it objectively. I didn't come away with anything positive from this look into the heart of darkness but if you like to have a reality check... it might be for you...
| 6/10 | bwp33@ - 60 reviews 11.1.2012 - age: 50+ |
It is a difficult movie to watch. The leading man is excellent, but the movie is really for those who are in the right mood. After the movie, I still feel very uncomfortable... a very strange feeling after having seen it at the cinema. It reminds me of the movie The Last Tango in Paris, but that movie has a great ending, which propels it to be a classic! Not this one.
| 6/10 | howardtaco1999@ - 69 reviews 10.1.2012 - age: 36-49 |
I don't often give a 10 for a movie. But McQueen, Fassbender, and Mulligan have hit this one out of the park. Powerful and moving!
| 10/10 | anishinabae@ - 2 reviews 9.1.2012 - age: 36-49 |
Excellent movie about a difficult topic. How original to see sex portrayed as a form of despair! Sex addiction is like any addiction - destructive, soul-eroding - and this movie shows that perfectly. Fassbender and Mulligan are amazingly good.
| 10/10 | gginmont@ - 36 reviews 7.1.2012 - age: 50+ |
A very sad look at a man with a serious addiction, an addiction most people would not understand or take the time to give a damn about.
| 10/10 | hamza@ - 4 reviews 6.1.2012 - age: 18-25 |
The movie is said to be about sex addiction but the images of sexual content are there just to oppose Michael Fassbender character loneliness. There are many conditions and situations that can lead to a person with emotions hidden deep inside. Maybe the movie is proposing that the need for immediate gratification is making people become apart from each other. Many dialogues are almost without cut while sex scenes are cut sometimes frenetically. This certainly is a well thought idea from the director. Very good acting and visual.
| 8/10 | luciano.santos@ - 46 reviews 2.1.2012 - age: 36-49 |
Michael Fassbender once again proves that he will give his all for a role. He re-teams with Steve McQueen, who directed him in Hunger. He was so real in that role as the IRA prisoner Bobby Sands that I feared for his health. He is very real in this role as well, giving a fearless performance as a sex-addicted man full of self-loathing. It is painful to watch his descent into debasement. It's not a feel-good story but one which sheds some light on a condition that probably affects more lives than we know. Kudos to Fassbender for having the guts to delve into this painful character. Kudos to Carey Mulligan as well for an equally excellent performance as the damaged sibling. Damaged childhoods do cast a dark shadow over adult lives.
| 8/10 | julieb43@ - 50 reviews 31.12.2011 - age: 36-49 |
Phenomenal follow-up to Steve McQueen's "Hunger". Well-executed without being pretentious. It will be interesting to see how the Oscar voters handle Michael Fassbender's performance.
| 10/10 | izzycho@ - first review 29.12.2011 - age: 36-49 |
Absolutely riveting! It's hard to be indifferent, it seems moviegoers will either love or hate this movie.
| 10/10 | pstl50@ - first review 28.12.2011 - age: 36-49 |
Kudos to Michael Fassbender, Carey Mulligan and the director for a powerful movie! I have seen at least one film of Fassbender's previously and another is on the way. He is a truly an outstanding performer and gave a bold, and intense reality of sexual addiction. This is something I have rarely seen on the big screen. The film was well done, starting with what seemed to be a slow and perhaps pornographic entry into the story. However, as the story unfolds, some hints to the siblings' painful childhood are illuded to. The heartbreaking and gripping story of two siblings, haunted by a tortuous past, one of which reveals little details, is portrayed by brilliant performers who now are scarred in their current life; wounded by their memories and who they have become. As Cissy says, "We are not bad people, we just came from a bad place." This outstanding and brave picture, although not full of the typical Hollywood hype, thank goodness, accomplished so well, the reality of two broken spirits and it did this by mere silence, few words and non-verbal looks of sadness, hopelessness, frustration, rage, despair and emptiness. At the end when I truly feel that the entire reality is just too much for Michael (Brandon) to bear, and he is crying out for help, not knowing what to do, where to turn and how it all got so messed up, I too wanted to rush to him and say, "go and get some help, both of you, for you desperately need fixing."
| 9/10 | elwalker48@ - 25 reviews 28.12.2011 - age: 50+ |
Hollywood should take lessons from this picture: great actors, a great director, beautiful photography, NO blockbuster budget... that's all it takes to make a good movie.
| 9/10 | hortensefl@ - 8 reviews 27.12.2011 - age: 36-49 |
This movie did not examine the obsession of addiction well enough. I have known those who have been addicted - the character in this movie did not portray it in a way where we really see "his addiction" as something that impedes his life - he is too well put together - not shaken up enough. On the other hand Carey Mulligan who played his sister was absolutely brilliant and stole the movie - every time she's on the screen you are excited about films, because it is actors like these who give such a fresh HONEST performance coming from their own unique ability to be themselves within the character - I would have given this movie more but there were just scenes in the movie that went on and on and should have been edited - keep the train rolling in other words - it's already bleak in its theme - don't make it a turtle convention.
| 6/10 | riverdalekid@ - 199 reviews 26.12.2011 - age: 50+ |
Beautiful scenes of New York City, interesting depiction of corporate life in the Big Apple, and an emotionally gripping portrayal of the effects of sexual abuse on two adult siblings all characterize this film. It is worth seeing. However at the end of the movie I mostly just wanted to bring all the main characters into therapy.
| 7/10 | adrientje@ - 10 reviews 25.12.2011 - age: 50+ |
It is but evident that the two protagonist siblings hail from a miserable childhood. What that was that made them the way they are is not disclosed and one wonders why. The movie is persistently silent on this question. The movie however sharpens this blur by uncovering the protagonists' emotions and the way they deal with the outside world and irreconcilably their own. When Michael Fassbender casts a glance at his sister singing or when tired and weary of his supposed addiction he tries not to indulge again, a woman in the subway grabs his attention who earlier did not, you see strands of emotion emanating from his rather staid face which is so uncommonly complex. Such is the brilliance of Fassbender's talent who clearly deserves dozen of awards and more so of applause. Carey Mulligan is superb and both evoke a very potent symbiosis of histrionics. The movie is not for the Planet of the Apes or Sherlock Holmes (the one in vogue) loving audience. It is a work of art that irreverently imitates life and the many emotions that men do not or cannot usually protest about in polite, convention-ridden societies.
| 9/10 | abyabzy@ - 28 reviews 23.12.2011 - age: 26-35 |
This movie is on a completely different league from regular Hollywood movies. Kind of like the difference between processed food and real food. It is a bit disturbing in some scenes, but it’s real. It captured the tension between people and the Melancholy of NY.
| 10/10 | nahar34@ - 63 reviews 23.12.2011 - age: 36-49 |
[ATTENTION: This review reveals content of the movie.]
This is a difficult but rewarding film to watch. Jokes aside, not many Hollywood films are mature enough to deal with a difficult subject matter like sex addiction in a realistic manner. There's maybe 3 pages of dialogue tops in the entire film. Instead, volumes of information is conveyed through facial expressions, body language, negative space, silences, by what's NOT said. If you expect to be spoon-fed, then forget it, this isn't a film for you. You need to be willing to connect the dots here on your own. On the surface, Brandon is an up and coming Manhattan-ite. Great looks, great job, lots of easy sex. He is addicted to it. He's constantly on the computer watching pornographic films, at work and at home. His apartment is full of girly magazines. He hires hookers regularly. He needs to relieve himself sexually several times a day in the wash room or in the shower. His insanely emotionally needy sister Cissy shows up and throws his regular routine for a loop. And that's when everything comes pouring out. Kudos to Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan. The acting is excellent and so much can be conveyed in a simple glance instead of 5 pages of bad dialogue. Fassbender in particular is fearless. Not many Hollywood actors are willing to do full-frontal shots, do strongly implied gay scenes and even hard core physical scenes. It may all sound titillating and sexy and fun. It isn't. Even during some of these scenes, the pain underneath is all too apparent and obvious on Brandon's face. While he also craves sex, he also hates himself for being it's slave and having it control him and his life, like any sort of addict will tell you. What you come away with is the realization that these people are deeply, deeply broken inside from their past and like all issues, if you don't take care of them, they show up later in life in one form or another. Cissy says one line which sums it up the best."We're not bad people. We just come from a bad place"
| 9/10 | fairdose@ - 12 reviews 23.12.2011 - age: 36-49 - One reply |
I'm not one for writing comments but here we go! It was ok. Carey Mulligan was the only likeable character. Fassbender never gave me an opportunity to connect with him. There was no beginning, middle and end. It was an hour and a half of end! The story was more about sex acts and less about the dangers of sex addiction! The movie also had its fair share of cliches like snorting cocaine. Can't have a movie about addiction without snorting cocaine!! Looked like it was thrown in there as an after thought! Could have been a great movie but in my opinion it missed the mark.
| 6/10 | vincentled@ - 2 reviews 22.12.2011 - age: 36-49 |
Michael Fassbender conveys more with a look than many actors do with 5 pages of dialogue. His performance is intense, gripping and heartbreaking. Carey Mulligan's rendition of "New York, New York" is hauntingly spectacular and says everything about this sibling duos quest for better lives (and escape from darker days) in the Big Apple (and the arms of men and women with anonymous faces) I saw it twice, and would see it again.
| 9/10 | chantal.marulaz@ - first review 21.12.2011 - age: 26-35 |
[ATTENTION: This review reveals content of the movie.]
You have to see the entire film to understand that both he and his sister have been deeply scarred by their parents. Their childhood obviously was not a good one. In lieu of this, the sister is suicidal, and the brother cannot commit not think of having a live long loving relationships with someone. In fact he thinks that his seconds of jerking off whether with himself or with a woman will make up for the lost feeling and terribly disturbing childhood.
| 9/10 | studyitalian@ - 4 reviews 21.12.2011 - age: 36-49 |
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