Shame & Hunger

I was unaware of director Steve McQueen, and thought, as many have, that Shame was directed by "that guy who was in The Great Escape".

The new Steve McQueen is killer. With actor Michael Fassbender, whom he has brought deserved renown, McQueen brings the story of Brandon, a sex addict unable to actually connect emotionally with others. He is a man whose life is a void that he is shuttled through, numb despite his outward success. He shuts out his sister who strikes deep at the core he doesn't want to recognise.

Sex is the Brandon's desperate attempt to feel pleasure, or pain as it sometimes seems. However, these acts are completed with the same stoic detachment we see in the rest of his life. The film is chilling, a reflection of the way our oversexed society is being emotionally crippled, subject to explode or implode in any direction.

I found this short clip, with Steve McQueen, Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan (who plays Brandon's sister) discussing the film's themes, and really enjoyed it:



Equally intriguing is Steve McQueen's film from a few years back - Hunger. Fassbender again featues, leader of the IRA who begins a hunger strike. I have included an interview with Steve McQueen at NYFF below, as he discusses his process developing the film.