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Generally favorable reviews- based on 180 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Negative: 4 out of 180

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  1. Dec 4, 2011
    Shame summarizes its own fundamental problem in Carey Mulligan's line, "We're not bad, we just come from a bad place." The bad place that Sissy and Brandon come from is where others have moved on to more au courant dysfunctions, while Brandon got left behind with a circa-1995 sex addiction and Sissy got left behind with the depression fostered by having a brother with a circa-1995 sex addiction. It's remotely possible that the movie might have made something interesting of this notion of being left behind - the unsexy out-of-dateness of Brandon's sex addiction - but Shame evinces a nearly absolute lack of self-awareness of the difficulties it brings upon itself by attempting to engage a topic that no longer has much cultural currency. There's a glimmer of promise when Brandon, on a date with his co-worker Marianne, asks her to feel a bump on the back of his head and explains, playfully, that he's a Neanderthal (and then goes on to describe the childhood mishap that actually produced the bump). It's worth noting that the exchange of dialogue in this scene is practically the only passage in the movie that doesn't feel oppressively contrived. A viewer who hasn't yet given up might suppose that Shame is finally pushing through to a recognition of Brandon as belonging to the wrong era: he has the misfortune to be the Neanderthal who survived the extinction of the culture's interest in sex addiction. All he's survived, though, in the constricted view that the movie is willing to allow itself, is a vaguely dysfunctional childhood in New Jersey. Curiously, the movie alludes ambiguously to a different (the same?) childhood in Ireland. The Irish childhood is another glimmer of promise; it suggests a whole other larger context, in which Brandon's struggles with himself derive from and are justified by a formative guilt-laden Irish Catholic upbringing (in Ireland, so much more guilt-laden than New Jersey can ever be). In this context, Brandon fits plausibly into the movie's frame because his origin is from outside the movie's setting. As a New Yorker with a sex addiction, he's an anachronism, but as an Irish immigrant, he's an outsider grappling with a plausible burden. But to make the Irish-immigrant narrative plausible, the movie would need to allow itself room to explore the larger context, and this is exactly what the movie rigorously declines to do. Expand
  2. Dec 3, 2011
    One of the most thought provoking films regarding a subject not often talked about. Fassbender gives a truly tortured performance worthy of at least an Oscar nomination.
  3. Jan 8, 2012
    I wish I could give this movie a good rating. Its starts with a fairly handsome guy, nicely built in all proportions, who is a sex addict. Sometimes he gets what he wants (always friendly; this guy does not rape), but on other occasions he cannot produce. His sister lives with him, and she appears to be on the verge of suicide from Day One, making this film complicated and dark. The guy, who suddenly seems to have lost interest and or ability to perform sex, plus put up with the antics of his sister, walks endlessly through the night streets of Manhattan, or jogs and jogs, or rides half-filled, old newspaper-littered subway trains endlessly. These scenes where he's losing himself, or possibly trying to find a way out of sexual addiction go on and on -- making this 1-hour, 45-minute film seem like a 5-hour ride on a dirty subway train. There are good street shots of Manhattan, but at the now-famous Standard hotel on the High Line, they miss the opportunity to have the woman bracing herself against the picture glass picture windows while being pumped from behind - something that supposedly happens regularly in real life every night - much to the delight of High Line voyeurs. Why does the film shy away from the big window scenes - maybe a nod to hotel management's requests? Go see, but I think you may be disappointed too. Expand
  4. Jan 13, 2012
    From time to time a movie arrives in cinemas that will leave such an impression that no matter what you do, itâ
  5. Dec 4, 2011
    I will not say that this is the best movie I ever seen, but damn, it's pretty close. Amazing acting, directing, am sure that it will be strong contender at the Academy Awards, at least for acting.
  6. BKM
    Jun 10, 2012
    Despite a go-for-broke performance by Michael Fassbender, Shame never really digs deeply enough into the the guilt and self-loathing that the central character has obviously intertwined with sex as a result of his Irish upbringing. The resulting movie is neither emotionally raw or sexually explicit enough (despite the dreaded NC-17 rating) to leave much of an impression.
  7. Jan 26, 2012
    To be honest, I do not get enough sex any more to qualify as an expert on sexual addiction. I found the film to be rather boring and quite predictable. I knew some one was going to end up dead or close to it. I also found the route that the film took to be more of the cheap thrill mixed in with something out of the old film "Wolfen". Why did he change into an animal when having sex, why was he masturbating all of the time, when did he sleep, how did he manage to get to work, why was the gay scene so much sleazier? The whole NC-17 rating is a joke. The film got that because I saw a penis? A boring film that lost my attention early on. Expand
  8. Jan 20, 2012
    If Michael Fassbender is not winning an Oscar for his mezmerizing and pitch perfect act in Shame, then everyone's going blind. Ebery psychiatrist should watch this before retirement.
  9. Jan 30, 2012
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Never really delivers and over long for it's content; this is act 1 of the film this could have been. The mood and atmosphere are great , and there are some powerful cinematic moments, but this lacks plot and/or enough depth to it's back story (dysfunctional family / siblings) to really engage with. We just get an emotionally dysfunctional bloke who cant quite get it together; all moody and existential. In the end I did n't really care that much for him or what happened to him and, here's the spoiler, he ends up out in the rain, all sad and crying. boo hoo. Expand
  10. Jun 22, 2012
    Hunger is an uncompromising drama in which Fassbender bears body and soul in film difficult to watch yet impossible to turn away from. It is only the second collaboration with McQueen, but considering the first one (Hunger) was also equally harrowing, I suspect and hope of more to come. But, it would wrong not to mention Mulligan who delivers yet another unflinching performance, and a mesmerizing rendition of "New York, New York". As it would be wrong to neglect the impact of the music from Bach. Expand
  11. Jun 23, 2012
    The sex and nudity are the best parts of this movie. Not sure about the whole gay episode of the movie. I thought he was going to have sex with his sister, but I guess not.
  12. Jan 21, 2012
    Director Steve McQueen started as a cinema artist and that shows in his commercial work. There are extended takes & minimal dialogue (hence, slow pacing) and episodes that add up to an impression (as opposed to a storyline). Michael Fassbinder plays a New York stud, who's obsessed with sex and afraid of intimacy. As a result, there two primary types of scenes: sex (including random pickups, masturbation & full-frontal nudity) and struggle (rueful staring and disaffected relationships). It's compelling on several levels, but too cerebral to be powerful. The most shameful thing is that the distributors had the conviction to release it in NC-17 (with all the attendant barriers) and it's not worth the risk. Expand
  13. Apr 23, 2012
    extraordinary film, Steve McQueen played with history as it had to be, every angle, every detail perfect. I imprisoned in his beauty from the first scene, nude natural, wild, exciting. Fassbender brother, you ought to be nominated for an Oscar; Mulligan majestic, spectacular entire cast. Installation, spectacular music! amazing photography.
  14. Oct 9, 2012
    Shame is a very realistic and deeply harrowing tale of sex addiction, loneliness and inferred psychological abuse. Despite all of it's predatory sex and nudity, Shame is probably one of the least erotic films you'll ever see. Micheal Fassbender delivers another mesmerizing turn and the rest of the cast are on top form too. Excellent, thought provoking stuff.
  15. Jun 26, 2012
    Viewer discretion is advised. It
  16. Apr 29, 2012
    Why Shame is so special? Controversy? Michael Fassbender full frontal or explicit sex scene? Anyway, Shame is poignant movie about sex addiction and about how you dealing with it. Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan stellar performance also boost the drama. And don't forget the powerful score, I know why Ebert maybe even couldn't be able to see it twice.
  17. Dec 18, 2011
    Brandon Sullivan (Michael Fassbender) has an addiction. He does not struggle against it, seek therapy to cure it, or deny its existence; he learns to cope with it and attempts to shape his life around it to create routine and give it space. Brandon is addicted to sex but appears to be a bit more OCD about it than the regular sex addict looking to score at the club on a weekend. He has a handle on his issue enough to know specifically what he wants. This specificity is most likely his limiting factor when it comes to real life relationships and intimacy, but Brandonâ Expand
  18. Apr 17, 2012
    If you're going to push the envelope then push it don't just move it around on the coffee table and then pretend you've opened it and read the contents. Had the writer explored just a bit more the relationship between Brandon and Sissy. There's more too these two than meets the eye. Siblings with that type of comfort level with each other's nudity wreaks of some behavior that is truly the cause of where these two have found themselves. The direction by Steve Mc Queen is taut and taunt. He's not revealed a lot about his two protoganists that would let us understand how they got here but he has explored and revealed how they've ended up. The final scene leaves more questions than it answers. Mulligan is satisfying in the role of Sissy but she's not given a great deal to work with. The winner here is Fassbender who is amazing but at times painful to watch. The sex addiction is truly explored and even though it's a bit difficult to relate too you empathize a bit with Brandon because he just seems better than what he's become and he knows it. Not a great film because there are holes in this screenplay. The music was appropriate and the cinematography underscored the total concept. Gritty and worth watching Fassbender. The expression of emotions that paint his face during scenes are some of the best language not spoken in cinema. Collapse
  19. Dec 24, 2011
    Probably one of the best films I've seen this year. What can I say that most already know; Fassbender is having a really awesome year and this year shows it. This is actually the first I've heard of Steve McQueen the director and I gotta say he's given me a good first impression. The shots and acting overall (along with Mulligan) were great, but the only gripe I had was that some shots dragged on too long, but still looked great nontheless. Expand
  20. Feb 25, 2012
    A truly powerful film that succeeds with it's dramatic effect because of two outstanding areas. These areas are the acting of Michael Fassbender and the audio visual experience Steve Mcquean creates. If the direction wasnt so good the film would be boring and a drag. If the acting werent so good there would have been the same problem. Overall a powerhouse dramatic effect that is difficult to watch but you just cant stop watching it. Just like Ebert I don't believe I could see it twice. Expand
  21. JMc
    Feb 10, 2012
    Now, don't get me wrong. I quite enjoyed Shame (with the exception of the absurd sequence where Carey Mulligan performs in a posh nightclub. What was it, Mediocrity Night?) While the film does address some of the doubtless vexing aspects of sex addiction (needing to be in the office loos having a quick wank while you should be in a meeting; a sudden desire to bang an expensive prostitute against a floor-to-ceiling hotel-room window), it doesn't tell us about two of the most obvious daily problems these poor folk must encounter. (a) The movie never shows us if Fassbender's character wears CONDOMS. This guy should take out shares in Durex! (b) SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED INFECTIONS. Heavens, having your sister stay over may be inconvenient, but contracting -- and spreading -- the clap, genital herpes, chlamydia, crabs and all the rest must be even more so. How's that winsome married lady on the train going to explain THAT to her husband? Expand
  22. Mar 29, 2013
    Shame deals with the unorthodox and the sometimes embarrassing nature of sexual addiction, and Michael Fassbender puts in an emotionally driven and edgy performance as the man in question.
    Brandon (Fassbender) leads a very routine life, waking up, masturbating, watching porn at work and at home, sometimes just staring endlessly at the screen.
    His routine is broken with the arrival of his
    equally as damaged sister, Sissy (Carey Mulligan) who wades in on Brandon's life unexpectedly which interferes with his mindset, causing an eventual downward spiral. She is very invasive of what he considers his personal space.
    it is clear as the film goes on that Brandon himself perhaps have difficulty talking to women unless he is being intimate with them, he is almost a recluse in his reluctance to speak thoroughly or freely to anyone, choosing instead to spend large amounts of time staring blankly into nothing.
    The film certainly doesn't hold back in its attempt to put across the problems and abusive nature that sex addicts can bring upon themselves, with very explicit content that will surely turn many off, but this is all pivotal to the message being conveyed in these characters, so why should they hold back?
    Michael Fassbender continues to surprise and entertain in this leading role, and this will undoubtedly gain him recognition in more ways than one. He powerfully depicts a damaged yet heartfelt man who simply doesn't seem to know any other way of life. He is tortured in every decision he makes, yet continues to lead this life, simply because it is like a drug.
    Carrie Mulligan also delivers a memorable performance as Sissy, ditching an almost good girl image to delve into the dark world of realism, the chemistry between herself and Fassbender is convincingly sombre as warring siblings, not knowing each other deepest secrets, but aware of each others way of life.
    With its reliance on extended scenes of emotional depth, director Steve McQueen mirrors certain scenes from his earlier film with Fassbender, Hunger, to further explore the characters and make said scenes more involving and appreciative.
    Not everyone will enjoy this film, but Shame certainly leaves a powerful, gritty and rugged impression on the mind, and it is difficult not to look away, mesmerising.
  23. Dec 14, 2011
    Fassbander and Mulligan are raw and naked and bare - both physically and emotionally - in this movie and it makes for a compelling experience:

    Full review:
  24. Dec 15, 2011
    Clinical in its core, Shame is an aestheticized rendering of a case-study of the sex addiction of a generic corporate-type (played by the ungeneric Fassbender). But all of its supposed ugly reality of a not-much-talked-about affliction is a bit misplaced by the directorâ
  25. Dec 30, 2011
    Shame: I thought it started off well, studying the main character's sexual addiction. However, as the movie went on, it lost steam. Carey Mulligan's character was distracting and I thought it hurt the movie overall. Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligen did give very daring performance.
  26. Dec 30, 2011
    Brilliantly and beautifully filmed. Perfect cinematography for the subject --- capturing its essence. the acting is superb and the directing is seamless and close to perfection.
  27. Jan 16, 2012
    I admit it, the sluggish pace may have distracted me, but I didn't get the back story of the brother-sister. The main reason to see it is the frontal nudity of a soon-to-be major star, and the daring sex. But it is strangely clinical and unsexy, and sad, which I DO get is the point. Sigh.
  28. Jun 6, 2012
    Finally a film could knock down HUGO (2011) and a leading male performance could overcome THE ARTISTâ
  29. Apr 9, 2012
    Good movie but not as good as it may sound from the's like they wanted to make a movie about sex addiction but they just didn't know how, so they filled it with ridiculous scenes (like that slow and boring rendition of New York, New York ), a lot of sex (which is fine) and made it quite monotonous.and I didn't notice much sexual tension between Brandon and Sissy (as some reviews suggested). to make a long story short this could have been much better movie. Expand
  30. Mar 29, 2012
    Strong film really, Shame hit me. The story is can be simple but the direction is amazing, have much interesting ideas, and the development is amazing, the cast is really awesome, Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan wow, awesome cast. I don't have most words to say, Shame is fantastic and strong.
  31. Jun 9, 2013
    This is a tasteful fearless movie that gives its subject matter justice. Performances are exceptional. This movie might be too much for some people, but to those who see it as art will understand how powerful this film truly is.
  32. Apr 22, 2012
    Very good story. Many guys have a private dark side that no one knows about and this movie cleverly brings that to the big screen. Its a little hard core for some but it is well directed and Michael Fassbender is excellent in it. Definitely worth the watch.
  33. May 17, 2012
    Shame is brutally honest. It doesn't leave out anything essential yet leaves an unsaid fog around the characters. It's graphically obvious yet highly suggestive. The characters are simple yet complex, and when watching the movie it seems as if Fassbender and Mulligan couldn't have portrayed their dark sibling relationship and shaky family chemistry better. I relate to both, and they keep on lingering, even the morning after watching the movie. Somehow, the soundtrack also had a great impact on me. For me, it created an instant sentimentality to the characters of the movie. Expand
  34. May 25, 2012
    The plot, Fassbender and Mulliganâ
  35. Aug 18, 2012
    This film is not for people who like happy-happy/feel good movies. Fassbender plays a tormented wanker (in both senses) who does whores and watches tonnes of porn but on the other hand fails to connect to humans (and his dependent sister) on an emotional level. That being said, Fassbender does an exellent job and shows that he can play superheroes as well as real profound roles. Carey Mulligan also has a great supporting role and does some singing as it turns out she has an beautifull voice. A well made reflection on the darker side of the human condition. Expand
  36. Jun 14, 2012
    Michael Fassbender is the reason this film had its moments of subtle brillance. I was in awe of the way he is able to construct the feeling of a scene only by the expression on his face as he tries to make a life of normalcy while fighting his private demons. My main complaint with this film though was the inability to bring the characters out more, I felt disconnected from the cast of this film, which made it hard to feel anything at the end of the film because you dont feel sorry nor happy for anyone. Just a general numbness. I would give this film a 6.4 out of 10, a compelling insight to a man struggling to deal with his own personality. Expand
  37. Apr 17, 2013
    I like dark movies. But saying that "Shame" is dark doesn't make justice to it. I loved "Shame" because it's poetically dark and not just that. It is poetically dark in the right way, the Baudelaire way. And Sissy is "La fleur du mal" with a scent too strong for Brandon. After all, she is his sister. It can't get simpler than that. And that is just disturbing! Intimate, personal and hopeless decent into the deep darkness of men's weak hearth. Expand
  38. Feb 24, 2014
    Steve McQueen's second film is just as hard-edged and brutally honest as his outstanding debut Hunger and his phenomenal follow-up 12 Years a Slave, but in an entirely different way. In Shame, the British auteur explores a topic hardly ever discussed in the film industry, sexual addiction, and uses it as a means to create a brilliant character study with artistic visuals. With very few things actually happening, Shame surely feels the longest of all of Steve McQueen’s films and, just as with Hunger and 12 Years a Slave, it’s probably going to take me quite some time to watch it again. However, the film brings up a lot of interesting things to think about and is the most honest and dignified approach to the subject I could think of, thus making it something very worthy of checking out. Expand
  39. Nov 7, 2012
    Although it is bracing and does a decent job of showcasing the dark side of man, the film, Shame, is not as good as Fassbender is here, which is too say it is not great.
  40. Jan 27, 2013
    "Shame" examines the nature of need, and how we live our lives and the experiences that shape us. "Shame" leaves us to internalize our thoughts, asking us to paint our own cinematic details in the gaps, and with the dark feeling that something black and heartless has been communicated most powerfully. Brandon (Michael Fassbender) is a good-looking, young man in his early 30's, who lives alone in a sterile condo in Manhattan. He works in a cubicle with a computer. Never mind what his company does. It makes no difference to him. Sometimes in the evening, he and his boss, David (James Badge Dale), go out to drink in singles bars. David is a outgoing and throwing out pick-up lines. Brandon just sits there, his face impassive, knowing he doesn't have to. He shuns intimacy with women but feeds his desires with a compulsive addiction to sex. The film's opening shot shows Brandon awake in the morning, staring immobile into space. He could be a man prepared to commit suicide. He gets out of bed, goes into the shower and masturbates. It will be the first of his many orgasms, solitary and with company, that day. He never reveals emotion. He lives like a man compelled to follow an inevitable course, and his life is a living hell. He is cold to everyone he encounters; prostitutes, co-workers, to strangers. On the subway, he trades eye contact with a woman who may be flirting with. He boldly maintains eye contact, but he doesn't smile. His is a dreadful life. His shame is masked in privacy. He wants no witnesses to his hookers, his pornography, his masturbation.
    The introduction of Sissy (Carey Mulligan), Brandon's sister, injects spontaneity and life into this-up to this point-an almost emotionally desolate film. She is as passionate and uninhibited as he is the opposite. This encounter resurfaces stirring memories of their shared painful past, and Brandon's insular life and addiction begin to spiral out of control. She needs him desperately and that frightens him most. She works sometimes as a cabaret singer, and in one scene, she performs a fantastic rendition of "New York, New York" in close-up. This close-up also shows pain and grief of both, a truly beautiful moment captured. McQueen's camera gives us a mix of the highly-stylized and the stark, with frequent long takes giving the actors the narrative space to embellish scenes with depth. Fassbender for one, is often captured looking unseeingly at the ground, failing to register the world before him. It can get to be overwhelming and burdensome for some as the movie, as well as Brandon's addiction, progresses. But Michael Fassbender's powerful, gut-wrenching performance and Steve McQueen behind the camera is what makes this so extraordinary.
  41. Jul 8, 2013
    I'd like to let it be known that Shame is an obscene movie. It's quite gross, but what else could you expect going into an NC-17 film about sex addiction. That complaint aside, it's a compelling almost-masterpiece and if you have the stomach, watch it. A fantastic performance from Michael Fassbender.
  42. Nov 6, 2013
    A phenomenally dark and interesting look at the dark, desire driven side of man.
    Fassbender performs, but Mulligan shines, and the chemistry between the two is deliciously unsettling throughout.
    A fantastic film, and my personal favourite of McQueen's directive outings.
  43. Sep 3, 2013
    SHAME feels like a film from the late '90s in that it pretentiously engages in pseudo self-exploration against the backdrop of high corporate optimism.

    The film and its characters are so sterilized and one-dimensional their interactions have the emotional depth of computerized stock trades. I think this is at the heart of why this film didn't work for me. I just didn't care about
    boring people who happened to have an addiction. What had they lost? Seemingly nothing. What were they to gain by defeating or confronting their addictions? Also seemingly nothing. If these characters were birds and their cage doors opened, my guess is they wouldn't bother to leave. Expand
  44. Jul 5, 2013
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Steve McQueen has upped his game after Hunger. Brandon (Fassbender) is apparently very efficient in his workplace, and appears to have an ordered life, when in reality he is a sex-addict. He is seen falling apart with the arrival of his sister Sissy (Mulligan), another troubled person whom he sees as more than a disruption to his routine. There are many sex-scenes far too many, in my opinion, but as you would expect none are erotic (nor did they aim to be). Besides Sissy, no one knows of Brandon's "shame", something that should strike us as odd but doesn't. This is because Brandon, as "pleasant" as he is around others, is in fact distant. He is unable to let himself make emotional connections without them tearing him apart (a fact that is made evident in the film not only by Sissy's presence, but also by his attempt to engage with a co-worker for whom he obviously has feelings for). The character Brandon would have been unbearable to watch if it wasn't for Michael Fassbender's portrayal of him how on earth was this performance not up for an Oscar? Really, how? McQueen strikes a remarkable balance between the two extremes On the one hand, one uses sex for carnal pleasure, because he is disconnected (Brandon), for whatever reason, and cannot (or refuses to) allow themselves to be emotionally available, and the other (Sissy) is so desperate to feel any connection that they use sex as a means to feel "loved". The amazing portrayals from both actors have you believing what Sissy states they are not bad people, they just come from a bad place. We, the audience, never find out what this "bad place" is, nor do we need to know the emphasis is on how the characters have been affected. Brandon and Sissy can be anyone around us. They both fall deeper into the grips of their own dependencies as the film progresses. This isn't an easy watch, but it is worth seeing. Expand

Generally favorable reviews - based on 41 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 29 out of 41
  2. Negative: 2 out of 41
  1. Reviewed by: Steve Persall
    Feb 15, 2012
    Shame smears the lines between daring and taunting, and art versus indulgence. When it ends there's the urge to take a shower, and not a cold one.
  2. Reviewed by: Mike Scott
    Feb 3, 2012
  3. Reviewed by: Calvin Wilson
    Jan 20, 2012
    The film is a raw, unsparing look at the downside of humanity.