Desire dissatisfaction is a global problem, you have me and everyone has it. Steve McQueen and Michael Fassbender are no exception.
It's just the way they express it, which is even more hysterical. Originally you just want to strip a girl, they will dissect the girl to you in detail. Then, naturally, their dark minds were frightened—but they probably just smiled from a distance.
"Shame" is a purely male psychological film, and its strength is that when the aggression of male hormones runs through the film from start to finish, it can still fill people with despair and confusion. This head-to-head narrative method makes those male audiences who are brought into the film almost unable to escape.
Sex is definitely not a fun topic. On the contrary, it is very heavy. Sex for the sake of sex is like "3D Meat Futon", the emotion grows and falls with the increase of aggression; sex for human beings is like "Lust and Caution", the aggression never weakens, and then see how the victim (Tang Wei) is captured and then Broken; "Shame" is the third type, people for sex, constructing a system in which the stronger the aggression, the more vulnerable the person - in this setting, the stronger the sex, the more negative the atmosphere.
Then the film drags on this heavy theme and uses negative emotions to drive the film forward - in the text negative emotions do not make up the ending, so "Shame" does not, whether Fassbender gets up with the girl on the subway train or not, This is not the end: his desires will never be satisfied.
And tearing off the ambiguous and unsightly skin of "sex", "Shame" shamelessly criticized the psychology and behavior of "compensation". Unrestricted sexual desire adds unlimited sexual encounters to you - but what about that? Whether it's a one-night stand, paying, reading, or even being gay, it can't release this sexuality. To sum it up with an out-of-time little fresh sentence, no matter how much money and leisure I give you, you will never be able to find the handful of marshmallows you missed as a child.
This kind of emotional care about gain and loss will leave sadness; when it falls to desire, it can only be hopeless.
I like that "Shame" accurately describes a kind of "unrequited death penalty": when facing the girl you like, you can't do it, and when you do it, you will never get the satisfaction you want. The thirsty detective in Constantine is another expression of this capital punishment. McQueen's creativity—or more accurately, courage—is to express this already literary capital punishment in the most shocking way. However, this assumption has been rehearsed many times in the hearts of many people who are trapped in "can't ask".
For McQueen, this kind of imaginative reality wasn't enough. So, add another yard and add the emotions associated with this sexual desire to the hero's sister. Therefore, the actor has no choice but to "compensate". And the more "compensation", the more desperate, and the result of abandoning "compensation" is love incompetence. It's crazy enough, so the next step is death, breaking the bottom line, no taboos - Fassbender accurately expresses the orgasm experienced in order to satisfy a desperate desire, but, for the hero. Words are useless.
Love is a medicine, and sex is an important ingredient in this pill. Imagine emergency responders who need this medicine to save their lives rummaging through boxes and cabinets looking for pills. "Shame" just stretches this scene to 100 minutes, and uses an artistic process to express this simple scene. There are always people who will be hit by countless arrows because of this, because there are people who have only explained such a scene in their lives.
This brings to mind a lot of things that have nothing to do with sex. After all, there is nowhere to vent the disappointment, and it is inevitable that Fassbender has a relationship.
However, it is not difficult to calm down in the humiliation in your heart if you have already underestimated the "can't beg" you have experienced. Then I turned to look at "Shame", McQueen's cleverness seemed to have many flaws.
In order to achieve strong emotions without breaking out, it is impossible to achieve it only by naked shots. So a strange worldview was set up: the male protagonist has only one cute person, and other than this person, he may not feel pleasure or pleasure. And this person happens to have an ethical obstacle with the male protagonist.
This is a very cheesy setting. But if this is not the case, not to mention the tone and mood of the film, and even the story will almost be incomplete.
This is fortunate, after all, this real world also has a psychological setting called "empathy". After times have changed and things have changed, most of those who "can't ask for it" can still give themselves a decent explanation.
Praising the exclusivity of love alone is the keynote of all kitsch love stories, and Shame borrows this keynote, I'm afraid there's really nothing else available. If McQueen could tell the story better, he might be able to steer clear of that tone. But what he did was not good enough.
Take out the skeleton of "Shame" and replace it with a polygamous skin, and it is almost a domestic drama. This is the most hilarious place. Every time I think of this, the despairing atmosphere that "Shame" deliberately exaggerates is completely scattered.
McQueen is talented, but he is not a master. The most successful "Shame" is not these little cleverness, but the delicate control and expression of "desire". After a few years of polishing, this kind of delicacy may be limitless.
As for Fassbender, female audiences will probably be interested in his naked body. After this battle, I do not need to repeat what he has gained. But I don't know whether it is good or bad for him to label himself "scars" and "destiny" prematurely?
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