☆☆☆☆☆ Masterpiece
Shame (2011) is a brilliant character study without judgement from the actors and director.
Directed and co-written by Steve McQueen. Abi Morgan has to be given screenplay credit.
Starring Michael Fassbender, Carey Mulligan and James Badge Dale among others.
This is an actors and directors master class on the craft of character development. I've got to hand it to Steve for letting his actors think they took control of the film. McQueen like Sir David Lean in Lawrence of Arabia (1962), not only lets his actors breathe life into the characters, but subtlety brings the camera in to explore the underlining subtext written across the actors faces by their creative souls.
I love the way McQueen blurs the leads face in closeups. This allows the audience to put their own faces onscreen. Steve is a director masking as an actor that knows what he wants on screen from his performers so the audience can empathize with the plot. Watch how Cary steals every scene she is in by being herself in the moment. Mulligan's rendition of New York, New York takes the song to places it has never ventured.
In the scene below McQueen wisely has Michael let his scene partner take control of the scene. The secret to seducing a woman is to let her be in control. Stare at them and they will notice you, show no emotion and it will allow them to be emotional for you. Then once they feel safe with you emotionally let them accept you as their next emotional conquest. What if they are married or in a relationship? Women, unlike men can easily break the physical attachment they have for an emotional adventure. For men sex is physical for women it is emotional.
Trivia - Carey singing in the restaurant scene was shot in real time. Three cameras were used to film all three actors in the scene to capture their real reactions. James and Michael had never heard Carey sing.
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