British director Steve McQueen cut his teeth as a fine artist, and his earliest films showed exclusively on the walls of major museums. That clarity of vision and attention to detail can also be found in Shame, his second narrative film. McQueen’s 2008 Hunger introduced Michael Fassbender, but Shame is the movie that reveals the actor as a major force. Fassbender is unforgettable here as a sex-addicted New Yorker whose life begins to unravel when his equally troubled sister (Carey Mulligan) arrives unannounced for a visit. Shame earned its NC-17 rating for nudity and explicit sex scenes rarely found in Hollywood movies, but it’s the film’s raw intensity that truly sets it apart. Shame is not for the squeamish.
Video: 1080p, 2.39:1. Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Extras: Featurettes: “Michael Fassbender”; “Director Steve McQueen”; “The Story of Shame”; “A Shared Vision”; “Fox Movie Channel Presents: In Character With Michael Fassbender”; theatrical trailer. Studio: 20th Century Fox.
