Reel Deal: Shame

Average rating:

Here's what the critics are saying:

4/5 stars
By Dave Calhoun for Timeout.com

“After Hunger, McQueen has immersed himself in a wholly different world and made a film that is similarly distinctive and exploratory and grasps you from beginning to end. He has also succeeded in making a film about an extreme character that doesn’t feel so divorced from everyday sexual desire and behaviour.”

4/5 stars
By Xan Brooks for Guardian.co.uk

“Shame feels less formal, less rooted in the language of the art installation than McQueen's previous film, Hunger, and is all the more satisfying for that. This is fluid, rigorous, serious cinema; the best kind of adult movie.”

4/5 stars
By Rob Carnevale for Indielondon.co.uk

“Shame is every bit as fearless a piece of filmmaking as his critically-acclaimed debut Hunger and just as provocative and sometimes difficult to watch.”

4/5 stars
By Derek Malcolm for Thisislondon.co.uk

“McQueen's film-making is undoubtedly powerful and without compromise, especially during the frequent sex scenes, which depict a man on the edge intent on propelling himself over the cliff. The only weakness is that the film provides so few clues as to precisely why Brandon is creating a kind of sexual prison for himself. It is obviously something in the couple's past, but what?”

4/5 stars
By Matthew Turner for Viewlondon.co.uk

“Director Steve McQueen reteams with Hunger star Michael Fassbender for this beautifully shot, brilliantly acted and intelligently scripted drama that's by turns explicit, thought-provoking and powerfully moving.”

4/5 stars
By Damon Wise for Empireonline.com

“Brave, beautifully acted and emotionally revealing — an early strong contender for the most provocative and compelling film of the year.”

4/5 stars
By Rosie Fletcher for Totalfilm.com

“Fassbender is the full package in a carnal drama that spares no blushes and pulls no punches. Likely to be one of 2012’s bravest and best.”