Shame is a 2011 British erotic psychological drama film, set in New York, directed by Steve McQueen, co-written by McQueen and Abi Morgan, and starring Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan as grown siblings. It was co-produced by Film4 and See-Saw Films. The film's explicit scenes reflecting the protagonist's sexual addiction resulted in a rating of NC-17 in the United States. Shame was released in the United Kingdom on 13 January 2012. It received generally positive reviews, with praise for Fassbender's and Mulligan's performances, realistic depiction of sexual addiction, and direction.
Plot
Brandon Sullivan is an executive living in New York City; he frequently has sex with prostitutes, views pornography, and masturbates several times daily. One day, Brandon makes eye contact with a woman wearing an engagement ring on the subway during his morning commute. She initially reciprocates but becomes uncomfortable. When they exit, she disappears into the crowd. Brandon and his married boss, David, hit on women at a club. Later, Brandon has sex in a back alley with a woman David was pursuing at the club.
Brandon has been ignoring calls from his sister, Sissy, who is a lounge singer. He arrives at his apartment and is startled to find her in his shower. Sissy has a few gigs in the city and asks to stay; he later hears her pleading on the telephone with her lover not to reject her. Brandon and David watch Sissy perform "New York, New York" in a bar, which makes Brandon emotional. David flirts with Sissy and notices scars from self-inflicted wounds on her arms. Sissy has sex with David in her brother's bedroom. Later that night, she attempts to get in bed with Brandon; he orders her out of the room.
After the computer system at Brandon's company is infected with a computer virus, they find that his hard drive is full of pornography. David assumes Brandon's intern is responsible. Brandon goes on a date with co-worker Marianne, who is recently separated and believes in commitment, while Brandon dislikes the idea of marriage and admits that the longest relationship he has been in lasted just four months. When they reach the subway, they go home separately.
That night, Sissy discovers Brandon masturbating in his bathroom. He attacks her and accuses her of spying on him. She finds his laptop open on a pornographic webcam site; Brandon slams it shut, and a disturbed Sissy leaves. Brandon disposes of his pornography, sex toys, and laptop. In the office, he kisses Marianne and the two get a hotel room, but Brandon cannot get an erection. Marianne leaves; later, Brandon has aggressive sex with a prostitute in the same room.
Brandon tells Sissy that David has a family and asks her to leave. She says that, as family, they should help each other, but Brandon calls her irresponsible and a burden. He goes to a bar and propositions a woman, describing explicitly what he would do to her. She is close to succumbing when her boyfriend intervenes. Brandon laughs in his face. After he leaves, the boyfriend follows and brutally beats him. When he is barred from another club, he goes to a nearby gay bar and is fellated by a man in a backroom. After leaving, he listens to a voicemail from Sissy, crying as she says that they are not bad people but just come from a bad place. Brandon has a threesome with prostitutes.
While Brandon is riding the subway home, the passengers are asked to disembark due to a police emergency, implicitly a suicide. He frantically calls Sissy, but she does not answer. Arriving home, he finds Sissy on the bathroom floor covered in blood, having slashed her wrists. He attempts to stop the bleeding while phoning for help. She survives and he comforts her in hospital. After leaving, he walks until he collapses, sobbing, in the rain.
On the subway, Brandon makes eye contact with the woman with the engagement ring again. This time, she holds her stare at him and appears to be more comfortable with the situation. She stands up, ready to exit the train at an approaching station. Brandon does not take his eyes off her.