Shame (2011)

Director:

Steve McQueen

Writers:

Abi Morgan (screenplay)
Steve McQueen (screenplay)

Release Date:

7 December 2011 (France)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

In New York City, Brandon's carefully cultivated private life -- which allows him to indulge his sexual addiction -- is disrupted when his sister Sissy arrives unannounced for an indefinite stay.

Plot Keywords:

New York | Addiction | Computer | Office | Anonymous Sex

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 21 wins & 41 nominations

Cast

Michael Fassbender	...	Brandon Sullivan
Lucy Walters	...	Woman on Subway Train
Mari-Ange Ramirez	...	Alexa
James Badge Dale	...	David Fisher
Nicole Beharie	...	Marianne
Alex Manette	...	Steven
Hannah Ware	...	Samantha
Elizabeth Masucci	...	Elizabeth
Rachel Farrar	...	Rachel
Loren Omer	...	Loren
Carey Mulligan	...	Sissy Sullivan
Lauren Tyrrell	...	Hostess
Marta Milans	...	Cocktail Waitress
Jake Richard Siciliano	...	Skype Son (as Jake Siciliano)
Robert Montano	...	Waiter
Charisse Bellante	...	Live Chat Woman (as Charisse Merman)
Amy Hargreaves	...	Hotel Lover
Anna Rose Hopkins	...	Carly
Chazz Menendez	...	Muscular Boyfriend
Carl Low	...	Bouncer
Calamity Chang	...	Late Night Lover #1
DeeDee Luxe	...	Late Night Lover #2
Stanley Mathis	...	Conductor
Wenne Alton Davis	...	Police Officer
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jennifer Butler	...	Subway Rider (uncredited)
Briana Marin	...	Waitress (uncredited)
Stephane Nicoli	...	New Yorker (uncredited)
Barbara Vincent	...	The Standard Hotel Guest (uncredited)

Directed by
Steve McQueen

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Steve McQueen		screenplay
Abi Morgan		screenplay

Produced by
Iain Canning	....	producer
Peter Hampden	....	executive producer
Tim Haslam	....	executive producer
Lisa Jordan	....	senior post producer
Tessa Ross	....	executive producer
Emile Sherman	....	producer
Bergen Swanson	....	co-producer
Robert Walak	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Harry Escott

Cinematography by
Sean Bobbitt

Film Editing by
Joe Walker

Casting by
Avy Kaufman

Production Design by
Judy Becker

Art Direction by
Charles Kulsziski

Set Decoration by
Heather Loeffler

Costume Design by
David C. Robinson		(as David Robinson)

Makeup Department
Ma Kalaadevi Ananda	....	makeup department head (as Marilyn Carbone)
Erin Hicks	....	hair department head
Craig Lindberg	....	special makeup effects artist
Nick London	....	key makeup artist

Production Management
Danielle Blumstein	....	unit production manager
Emma Zee	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jolian Blevins	....	first assistant director: additional photography
Jolian Blevins	....	second assistant director
Cedric Vara	....	second second assistant director
Atilla Yucer	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Matthew Amenta	....	property master
Kimberly Asa	....	art department coordinator
George Daratany	....	set decorator production assistant
Nicole De Luca	....	art intern
Millree Hughes	....	camera scenic artist
Meredith Lippincott	....	art production assistant
Michael Lee Nirenberg	....	scenic artist
Bobby Roelofs	....	set dresser
Graham Wichman	....	set dresser

Sound Department
Hugo Adams	....	foley editor
Niv Adiri	....	sound design editor
Niv Adiri	....	sound re-recording mixer
Tim Atkins	....	adr recordist
Tim Atkins	....	sound assistant
Ben Barker	....	sound effects editor
Paul Cotterell	....	dialogue editor
Paul Cotterell	....	sound re-recording mixer
Mark DeSimone	....	adr mixer: New York
Glenn Freemantle	....	sound supervisor
Anguibe Guindo	....	boom operator
Rob Hughes	....	adr mixer
Ken Ishii	....	production sound mixer
Adam Mendez	....	foley recordist
Joe Origlieri	....	additional sound mixer
Jack Stew	....	foley artist

Visual Effects by
Adrian Banton	....	digital compositor
Chris Bentley	....	titles coordinator
Luke Butler	....	digital effects supervisor
Naomi Butler	....	digital compositor
Lee Clappison	....	digital colourist
Tom Collier	....	digital compositor
Peter Collins	....	digital intermediate
Stefan Drury	....	head of visual effects
James Elster	....	digital compositor
Sean Farrow	....	executive visual effects supervisor
Scott Goulding	....	online editor
David Lloyd	....	senior systems engineer
Abigail McKenzie	....	digital lab operator
Emelie Nilsson	....	digital compositor
Glen Pratt	....	on-set supervisor
Antonio Rodríguez Díaz	....	digital compositor
Katie Roehrick	....	visual effects coordinator
Daniel Spain	....	systems engineer
Lucy Tanner	....	visual effects coordinator
Daniel Tomlinson	....	scanning & recording manager
Diana Vasquez	....	digital lab operator

Stunts
Mike Burke	....	stunt driver
Roy Farfel	....	stunt coordinator
Chazz Menendez	....	stunts
Declan Mulvey	....	stunt driver
Manny Siverio	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
David Chameides	....	steadicam operator
Nicole Cosgrove	....	assistant camera
Charlie Foerschner	....	second assistant camera
Abbot Genser	....	still photographer
Spencer Gillis	....	second assistant camera
Rob Harlow	....	key grip
Kate Larose	....	first assistant camera
Ludovic Littee	....	first assistant camera
Kevin Meegan	....	grip
Timothy Naylor	....	camera operator
William Newell	....	gaffer
John Nijhawan	....	grip
August Popkin	....	electrician
Benjamin Relf	....	video assist
Eric J. Williams	....	grip

Casting Department
Vanessa Baker	....	voice casting
Karen E. Etcoff	....	extras casting
Charles L. Gariepy	....	casting assistant
Leeba Zakharov	....	casting associate

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Aneikit Bonnel	....	key costumer
Alex Bovaird	....	assistant costume designer
Barbara Hause	....	wardrobe supervisor
Kristin Lindbeck	....	costume p.a.
Brittany Loar	....	costume coordinator
Kirsten Mogg	....	set costumer
Shady Patterson	....	costume p.a.
Thomas M. Smalley	....	costumer

Editorial Department
Rob Ackerman	....	technical support
Siobhan Boyes	....	post-production coordinator
James Clarke	....	digital intermediate supervisor
Ritchie Ferguson	....	technical support
Lisa Forrest	....	first assistant editor
Scott Macbeth	....	technical support
Jerry Ramsbottom	....	assistant editor
Rick White	....	technical support
Gilbert Carreras	....	color timer (uncredited)

Music Department
David Butterworth	....	orchestrator
Isobel Griffiths	....	orchestra contractor
Ian Neil	....	music supervisor
Nick Wollage	....	score engineer & mixer
Ian Wood	....	music editor

Other crew
Tara Andrus	....	production accountant
Matthew Baker	....	for HanWay Films
Katri Billard	....	script supervisor: additional photography
Stephanie Blackwood	....	assistant production coordinator
Katherine Bridle	....	production executive: See-Saw Films
Chas Bruns	....	production assistant
Nicole Bukowski	....	first assistant accountant
Jerome Butler	....	dialect coach
Eva Z. Cabrera	....	script supervisor
Neil Cairns	....	post production accountant
Cynthia Chou	....	office production assistant
Alice Clough	....	head of business affairs: See-Saw Films
Wendy Cohen	....	production resources
Nicole De Luca	....	locations intern
Michael DeRoker	....	assistant location manager
Charlie Dibe	....	production coordinator
Brian DiLorenzo	....	office production intern
Danielle DuGuay	....	production assistant
Víctor Escribano	....	production assistant
Brian James Fitzpatrick	....	production assistant (as Brian Fitzpatrick)
Chiara Gelardin	....	for hanway films
Joyce Goldenbaum	....	animal coordinator
Wayne Han	....	key production assistant
Mátyás Haraszti	....	lead translator
Morgan Howard	....	payroll accountant
April Lamb	....	assistant: Mr. McQueen
Feifei Ling	....	production assistant
Gabriella Ludlow	....	production legal
Jonathan Lynch-Staunton	....	for HanWay Films
Josh Mankoff	....	additional production assistant
Richard Mansell	....	for HanWay Films
Jason A. McCauley	....	assistant location manager
Jason A. McCauley	....	location scout
Charlie McSpadden	....	office production assistant
Sara Neuffer	....	production assistant
Andrew Nordstrum	....	production assistant
Jason Planitzer	....	assistant location manager
Peter Raven	....	production executive: Lip Sync Productions
Thorsten Schumacher	....	for HanWay Films
Weiman Seid	....	unit publicist
Jan Spielhoff	....	for HanWay Films
Hayley Stahl	....	intern
Blake Steigerwald	....	production assistant
Steve Tsentserensky	....	production assistant
Helen Varty	....	assistant to Tessa Ross
David Velasco	....	location manager
Niccolò Vitelli	....	production assistant
Claire Wiegand	....	lead craft service

Thanks
Andrew Mackie	....	special thanks
Richard Payten	....	special thanks
Claire Taylor	....	special thanks
Warren Zavala	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Film4 (presents)
• See-Saw Films
• UK Film Council (presents)
• Momentum Pictures (in association with)
• Lipsync Productions (as Lip Sync Productions) (in association with)
• HanWay Films (in association with)

Distributors

• Bir Film (2012) (Turkey) (all media)
• Alliance Films (2011) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Cinéart (2012) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Diamond Films (2012) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Fox Searchlight Pictures (2011) (USA) (theatrical)
• GAGA (2012) (Japan) (theatrical)
• MK2 Diffusion (2011) (France) (theatrical)
• Momentum Pictures (2011) (UK) (theatrical)
• Odeon (2012) (Greece) (theatrical)
• Prokino Filmverleih (2012) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Transmission Films (2011) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Videocine S.A. de C.V. (2012) (Mexico) (theatrical)
• Alta Films (2012) (Spain) (all media)
• Front Row Filmed Entertainment (2011) (United Arab Emirates) (all media) (Middle East)
• Zon Lusomundo Audiovisuais (2012) (Portugal) (all media)

Special Effects

• Lip Sync Post (visual effects)

Other Companies

• Anvil Post Production  Foley Recording
• Arri CSC  camera equipment provided by
• Arri CSC  grip and lighting equipment
• Bonded Services  film storage
• Dolby Laboratories  sound mix
• Fatts  post production script
• Film4  funding
• HireWorks  HD Avid equipment rental

Also Known As:

"Shame: Sin reservas" - Argentina (imdb display title), Chile (imdb display title)
"Стыд" - Russia
"óÏÒÏÍ" - Ukraine (imdb display title)
"A szégyentelen" - Hungary (imdb display title)
"Busha" - Israel (Hebrew title) (imdb display title)
"Geda" - Lithuania (imdb display title)
"Shame" - Greece (imdb display title)
"Shame" - France (imdb display title)
"Shame - deseos culpables" - Mexico (imdb display title)
"Sramota" - Slovenia (imdb display title)
"Utanç" - Turkey (Turkish title) (imdb display title)
"Vergonha" - Portugal (imdb display title)
"Wstyd" - Poland (imdb display title)

MPAA:

Rated NC-17 for some explicit sexual content

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

UK:18 | USA:NC-17 (certificate #47025) | Ireland:18 | Australia:R | Canada:18A (Alberta/British Columbia/Ontario) | France:12 | Japan:R18+ (edited version) | Netherlands:16 | Sweden:15 | Italy:VM14 | Norway:15 | New Zealand:R18 | Germany:16 | Portugal:M/18 | Brazil:16 | Hong Kong:III | Spain:18 | Singapore:R21 (cut) | Argentina:18 | Chile:18 | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Canada:R (Manitoba)

Filming Locations:

28th Street Subway Station, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Film4

Trivia:

The scene where Brandon hears his sister sing in the restaurant was shot in real time. James Badge Dale and Michael Fassbender had never heard Carey Mulligan sing before so their reactions were real. The scene was shot at 3 a.m with cameras focused on all 3 performers at the same time.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Brandon is on the subway looking at the woman we see Fulton behind him on the wall of the subway tunnel. The train moves and a few minutes have passed. Next, when the woman exists the train and he follows her, we see that they are again at Fulton station.

Quotes:

Sissy Sullivan:I'm trying, I'm trying to help you.
Brandon Sullivan:How are you helping me, huh? How are you helping me? How are you helping me? Huh? Look at me. You come in here and you're a weight on me. Do you understand me? You're a burden. You're just dragging me down. How are you helping me? You can't even clean up after yourself. Stop playing the victim.
Sissy Sullivan:I'm not playing the victim. If I left, I would never hear from you again. Don't you think that's sad? Don't you think that's sad? You're my brother.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "The Graham Norton Show: Johnny Depp/Ricky Gervais/Carey Mulligan/Ed Byrne/Snow Patrol (#10.3)" (2011)

Soundtrack:

Variato 15 a 1 Clav. Canone alla quinta. Andante from the Goldberg Variations

It's not about sex, it's about shame

Brandon seems to be successful in life: a steady job, a nice apartment, good friends and success with women. But something prevents Brandon from having a relationship that lasts more than four months, this incapacity is due to the fact that Brandon is a sex addict: to casual encounters with strangers and prostitutes, to pornography (both during and after working hours), to masturbation. And to some extent he seems to have his addiction under control, until her sister Sissy arrives unexpectedly looking for a place to live for a while.

Under this premise British director Steve McQueen delivers a fascinating character study which explores how modern life (in which new technologies play a major role), increasingly isolates people and makes them unable to establish emotional bonds with others. In the case of Brandon, a hunter in search of pleasure and not love, the arrival of his sister will make him prey of his emotions and will make him face his reality.

One aspect that has caused controversy is the way so raw and explicit to show Brandon's sexual encounters, however this becomes a necessary element, since it is through them that you can see Brandon's need and desperation as Sissy is more involved in his life. Special mention deserves the dynamics established between them, since it is fully nuanced and can even be uncomfortable to witness but is devastatingly emotional(especially in the last minutes of the story).

However, the most important element for the success of the film lies in the performances: in the hands of less committed actors Brandon and Sissy's conflicts would be unconvincing, but McQueen wisely chooses Michael Fassbender (both had previously worked together on Hunger), who literally bares body and soul to take Brandon's emotions to the limit and does it so impressively in a brave and courageous performance (and unfortunately the Academy possibly considered too intense for consideration in their nominations). Meanwhile Carey Mulligan proves to be one of the young actresses with the best prospects and acting range nowadays: her rendition of the classic song New York, New York is an utter delight as well is one of the best scenes in the film.

Shame, in the end (as in most character studies) does not seek to create empathy for the characters, but rather wants us to reflect and ask ourselves how we would react in similar situations.