Shame [2011]

Shame Movie Poster

I heard about Shame from a few different people but never had the opportunity to watch it before now. Telmo and I watched it two nights ago and I was slightly disappointed.
I expected it to be a really heavy movie filled with emotion and drama but what I felt was more on the “it’s okay” category. I suspect if I’ve seen it in any other day I would feel different, so I’m saving my final judgment for when I see it again in another state of mind.

I have a few things to say, though.
I think people should chill out about speaking of this movie as if it’s The Sad Life of a Sex Addict. I don’t think he is a sex addict. I don’t even know if it’s possible to be a sex addict. (Maybe it’s an American thing…) When the human prime directive is to have sex and reproduce, can someone get addicted to a prime directive? Isn’t that exactly what is meant to be? He likes porn, hookers and risk taking (by implicitly having unprotected sex). So? He can afford the hookers and he is an unattached adult so quit it with the finger pointing, people!

He is lonely. He lives in a society that exalts monogamy and relationships as the only acceptable model of reality. As we see in the movie, his MARRIED boss is screwing around. Is his wife okay with that?

The pressure of a relationship, any relationship—as we see in the way he deals with his sister—is too much for him. He isn’t a sex addict, he is just emotional undeveloped.

It’s a pretty movie visually and the writing is good. I just need to watch it when I’m not in a funk.

Trailer: