About "Shame"

Isabel 2022-03-22 09:01:31

Watched the movie Shame again. This is the third time to watch. The initial strong shock and shock continued to fade. I remember nearly losing sleep at night when I first watched it more than a year ago, and was more frightened by the naked flesh in it. In my understanding, the film is not only about a man who is addicted to sex, but also about a man who doesn't know how to love, and more importantly, a man who is ashamed of it of. All my respect for the director comes from this faint sense of shame. We say weak, mainly because the film is not full enough to show the male protagonist Brandon's lack of love and the corresponding sense of shame, leaving too much blank, and it is vague (obscure?) Doubt, did the male protagonist clearly realize that he lacked the ability to love a lover, and felt ashamed at the same time? (Very few, if any, revealing lines)

Brandon is a sex addict. But aside from that, I'm still quite fond of this character. In terms of life, I know how to dress well, and the texture of the clothes is also good; I have good habits, such as orange juice must be poured into a cup to drink, and the toilet seat will be cleaned before masturbating in a public toilet. Has a stable and decent taste and aesthetic in music. He is educated. When he comes home from get off work, when he sees an old man pushing a stroller out of the apartment, he will take the initiative to walk up to help open the door. Even strangers who have sex with them show respect and ask them if they want to drink or button their underwear.

It's just that he doesn't know how to love someone, or he doesn't know how to get along with close people. (His sister is also a person who doesn't know how to love, is too self-contempt, and is extremely casual about her own life) Except for the after-get off work gatherings with colleagues, he isolates himself from the outside world most of the time Get up and vent your sexuality in various forms in a secluded space (at home). I always felt that the appearance of my sister Sissy was an aggression for Brandon. She disrupted the order of his life. At the same time, she also inadvertently spied on his brother's privacy at certain moments, such as bumping into Brandon masturbating in the bathroom, seeing Indecent paid videos on his PC, etc. That's why she put on a coat and hurried out apologetically.

But the elder brother still cares about the younger sister very much in his heart. When he overheard Sissy begging to Mark on the phone without self-respect in the room, his eyes were full of helplessness and loss; when the two were waiting for the subway, he would take the initiative to ask Sissy if he had enough money; When Sissy sings emotionally, he sheds tears because he listens too deeply; he gets angry that Sissy is having a relationship with a boss who already has a family, and scolds his sister loudly.

But, between Sissy's impact on his personal life and his concern for her, Brandon didn't know how to decide. He felt extremely anxious and overwhelmed. In that big fight, Brandon said to Sissy, "No. You trap me. You force me into a corner and you trap me. I've got nowhere else to go." This also explains how Sissy says over and over again at the beginning of the movie Brandon always ignored or appeared impatient as he left his brother's phone messages over and over. It can be said that Sissy's attempt to commit suicide by cutting his wrists later had nothing to do with Brandon's nasty words to his sister in this quarrel. After all, it was also an injury to the brother-sister relationship.

Getting along with black women also ended in haste. Brandon loves her. On his first date with a black woman, he was particularly arrogant and shy. It's something he doesn't have at all when he's having sex with a strange woman. When the black woman revealed that she had been in a very short marriage, Brandon's expression was full of disbelief. To be precise, he was strange about maintaining a stable and long-term relationship. He felt it was unrealistic, "One person for the rest of your life? I mean, you come to restaurants, you see couples sitting together, and they don't speak to each other, they don't have anything to say...or they just bored to each other." His longest relationship lasted four months. Later, when he decided to formally accept the black woman, he couldn't get himself to have sex with her. Ironically, later in the same room with a view of New York, he had sex freely and skillfully with a prostitute, and afterward burst into tears, the prostitute standing and turning her head to look at him. Relaxed and utterly shameless, and Brandon behind him was sitting on the floor against the edge of the bed, he was so vulnerable. Seeing people only feel bad for him.

At the end of the film, Brandon meets the married woman again in the subway, and the film does not explain the progress of the relationship between the two. There is no way of knowing how Brandon has further confronted his own sex addiction and inability to love, and perhaps, the only thing that can save him is shame. Or, as one critic wrote in "relationships between people born too weak, encounter is not enough, must have the courage to give everything to make it grow. Of course, if you think it is worth the words."

Mention about One of my favorite clips in the film: Brandon and the black woman came out of the restaurant, and the two walked side by side on the streets of New York. Easy and comfortable. The change of light and shadow matches the atmosphere and hints created by the lines, which is very beautiful.

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Extended Reading

Shame quotes

  • Sissy Sullivan: We're not bad people. We just come from a bad place.

  • Sissy Sullivan: I'm trying, I'm trying to help you.

    Brandon Sullivan: How are you helping me, huh? How are you helping me? How are you helping me? Huh? Look at me. You come in here and you're a weight on me. Do you understand me? You're a burden. You're just dragging me down. How are you helping me? You can't even clean up after yourself. Stop playing the victim.

    Sissy Sullivan: I'm not playing the victim. If I left, I would never hear from you again. Don't you think that's sad? Don't you think that's sad? You're my brother.