Shame *½ (NC-17)

Mark Glass | Jan 30, 2012, 12:40 p.m.

Shame

For a walk on the depraved side of life, here’s a drama about a handsome guy (the suddenly ubiquitous Michael Fassbender) who is obsessed with sex in most of its potential forms. Despite his success, at least as defined on a volume basis, his existence is surprisingly lonely and joyless. Compulsions apparently provide more momentary relief than actual pleasure. His sister (Carey Mulligan) has her own emotional scars from her approach to men and her place in the world. Add the uneasy co-dependency between the siblings, and you’ve got another psychological soup joining the recent glut created by the likes of Melancholia, We Need to Talk About Kevin and A Dangerous Method. Hard economic times usually evoke a spate of light escapist films; now we’re apparently seeking relief in the schadenfreude of watching characters more messed up than we feel.

There’s little to be learned from the principals (or principles) of this screenplay beyond its titillation factor, and one stunning scene in which aspiring nightclub singer Milligan performs a mesmerizing version of New York, New York that almost justifies sitting through the rest. (1/20/12)