Michael Fassbender & Carey Mulligan in Steve McQueen's SHAME

[Heisenberg]

Brandon is a thirty-something man living in New York who is unable to manage his sex life. After his wayward younger sister moves into his apartment, Brandon‟s world spirals out of control. From director Steve McQueen (Hunger), Shame is a compelling and timely examination of the nature of need, how we live our lives and the experiences that shape us. Stars Michael Fassbender, Carey Mulligan, James Badge Dale and Nicole Beharie.

 

[Sgt.Pepper]

I'm really excited for this film. Hunger was, undoubtedly, one of the best film of 2008, and I'm sure McQueen will deliver yet another solid film.

 

[hugekent]

A Dangerous Method will be Fassbender's Oscar bid, but I get the feeling this is going to be his better performance.

 

[Sgt.Pepper]

Reviews of Shame have arrived from the Venice Film Festival and it received a lot of positive response from the critics. However, the explicit nudity featured in the film scared a few distributors off and chances are that film may get a NC-17 rating. But hopefully, the film acquires a brave US distributor and a chance at getting a R-rating from the MPAA. Regardless, reading the rave reviews increased my anticipation to see Shame.

First Clip From Shame (Starts around the 2:30 mark)


Reviews:

Hollywood Reporter

Strong stuff on the sexual wild side from bold director Steve McQueen and the extraordinary Michael Fassbender.

Guardian UK

Steve McQueen's second feature of sex-addiction, self-harm and cheap thrills in New York is fluid, rigorous, serious cinema

The Playlist

‘Shame’ A Fascinating Follow-Up To ‘Hunger,’ With A Tour-De-Force From Fassbender

Variety

Few filmmakers have plumbed the soul-churning depths of sexual addiction as fearlessly as British director Steve McQueen has in "Shame." A mesmerizing companion piece to his 2008 debut, "Hunger," this more approachable but equally uncompromising drama likewise fixes its gaze on the uses and abuses of the human body, as Michael Fassbender again strips himself down, in every way an actor can, for McQueen's rigorous but humane interrogation. Confrontational subject matter and matter-of-fact explicitness will position the film at the higher end of the specialty market, but it's certain to arouse critical acclaim and smart-audience interest wherever it's shown.

 

[Heisenberg]

Just got done reading the Variety review and was heading here to post it; now I can't wait to see this. Fassbender it such an excellent and exciting actor to watch, and after the performance McQueen got out of him for Hunger, I knew this would be strong. Carey Mulligan is probably one of, if not my favourite actress right now too.

 

[CaptainCanada]

Anyone else find it weird that this movie is written, directed by, and starring Britons, and yet it's set in America?

Mulligan goes full frontal apparently (as does Fassbender many more times).

 

[Sgt.Pepper]

I forgot to post the poster.

 

[ttotheusher]

Steve McQueen is one of the best new directors around at the moment; Fassbender and Mulligan are two of the best new actors around. Should be a fascinating film.

 

[kvz5]

There is good buzz about Fassbender taking the Volpi Cup at the Venice Film Festival for this movie. His biggest obstacle is Gary Oldman.

 

[Crockett]

Hunger was a fantastic debut film by McQueen, so glad besides that he's reuniting with Fassbender that Mulligan is in this as well, two young and really great actors. Despite the explicit nudity, I do hope a distributor pick this up.

 

[Sgt.Pepper]

Fox Searchlight Acquires Shame For U.S. Distribution

Fox Searchlight Pictures Presidents Nancy Utley and Stephen Gilula announced today that the company has acquired U. S. rights to the intimate and provocative drama SHAME. The film is directed by Steve McQueen, written by McQueen and Abi Morgan and stars Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan. SHAME is a See-Saw Films production for Film4 and U.K. Film Council and produced by Iain Canning and Emile Sherman. Tessa Ross, Robert Walak, Peter Hampden and Tim Haslam are executive producers with Bergen Swanson as co-producer. HanWay Films is handling international sales. The film is scheduled to be released in 2011.

"Steve McQueen's courageous exploration of modern life's extremes is breathtaking. He has crafted an extraordinary film that probes some of the deepest and darkest issues ever portrayed on screen with amazingly gifted performances by Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan," said Gilula and Utley.

"Fox Searchlight contacted us immediately after the screening in Telluride to tell us how much they loved the film. Their approach to marketing and distributing the film this year was incredibly detailed and impressive. We are excited to be working with them on a film that is sparking debate and a strong emotional reaction from audiences," said Canning and Sherman.

"This is a brave statement and an important move by Fox Searchlight. I am very happy they came on board to release Shame in the U.S. It's great to be working with a team that is so passionate about cinema," said McQueen.

Brandon (Michael Fassbender) is a New Yorker who shuns intimacy with women but feeds his desires with a compulsive addiction to sex. When his wayward younger sister (Carey Mulligan) moves into his apartment stirring memories of their shared painful past, Brandon's insular life spirals out of control.

Since Fox Searchlight knows that McQueen is not open to re-edit the film and agree to not cut it. I guess the film will get a limited release with a NC-17 rating.

Regardless, I think it's great that a brave studio picked up the film.

 

[Crockett]

Searchlight has balls being the distributor for the film. It's going to limit the audience it could've reach if it was R but they're passionate about the quality in the films that's being releasing by them no matter the rating.

Although they could make there's two versions whereas one of them is rated R later down the line if they want to market so it has a chance in the Oscars. I doubt it though since it did turned off a few old farts when it's showing at Telluride but it's just a thought.

 

[AnorexicBatman]

Wait, THE Steve McQueen? The yesteryear action star from movies such as BULLIT?
AWESOME!

 

[Sgt.Pepper]

Wait, THE Steve McQueen? The yesteryear action star from movies such as BULLIT?
AWESOME!

No, not that Steve McQueen.

 

[PWN3R]

I'm so ready for that Fassy dong.

 

[Thebumwhowalks]

haha, you wish.

can't wait to see how this all plays out, there's gonna be some real sweetness when I get there.

lookin forward to getting in the top seat too.

 

[Sgt.Pepper]

Michael Fassbender took the Coppa Volpi for Best Actor award at the Venice Film Festival.

 

[Thebumwhowalks]

Michael Fassbender took the Coppa Volpi for Best Actor award at the Venice Film Festival.

Yeah, he is a good actor, has a lot of help orchestrating his image of course, all power to the folk in cahoots with him too.

 

[Crockett]

Michael Fassbender took the Coppa Volpi for Best Actor award at the Venice Film Festival.

That's fantastic and well-deserved from what I could tell from reading the reviews. Searchlight will probably do a campaign for the Oscars but it's a fat chance he'll get nominated, it'd be an incredibly uphill battle since it's guarantee that the film too out there for the old members in the Academy. Anyway I do hope that the film gets distributed outside of U.S. as well.

 

[Boom]

It'll be interesting to see when Fox Searchlight decides to release this. It doesn't release in the UK until January 2012.

 

[Liam_H]

edit

 

[mclay18]

Searchlight has balls being the distributor for the film. It's going to limit the audience it could've reach if it was R but they're passionate about the quality in the films that's being releasing by them no matter the rating.

Although they could make there's two versions whereas one of them is rated R later down the line if they want to market so it has a chance in the Oscars.

Fox Searchlight has bought and released an NC-17 movie before, which was Bernardo Bertulucci's The Dreamers (they released it in uncut and R-rated cuts on DVD). The sex wasn't that explicit, but it did have frequent and closeup nude shots of the three main actors (Louis Garrel, Eva Green, and Michael Pitt). If you want a more recent example, Focus Features released Lust, Caution into theaters in its original NC-17 version (and had both unrated and R-rated cuts released on DVD).

I forgot to post the poster.

I'm thinking the poster was inspired by the amateur photos of Fassbender shooting a sex scene with an actress for this movie. Both were simulating sex against a glass window in a NY hotel, where everyone could see everything.

It's on a certain site (and it's NSFW, which means I'm not posting a link), but you can search for it. One photo even had Fassbender and the woman smiling and waving at onlookers. t:

 

[Sgt.Pepper]

Shame Set To Release on December in U.S.

Big news: we're releasing Steve McQueen's SHAME in the US on December 2nd, 2011!

Source

Great news for you Americans. I hope the film gets a release date here soon.

 

[luke1234]

great news! Shaping up to be a great december in the U.S.

 

[Raiden]

Anyone else find it weird that this movie is written, directed by, and starring Britons, and yet it's set in America?

Mulligan goes full frontal apparently (as does Fassbender many more times).

Both Fassbender and Mulligan are two of my favorite actors right now, and this thing is just a cherry on top. I probably won't have the time to check it out in theatre, but I will definitely see it when it's out on DVD.