Fifteen years after its 2011 festival debut, Shame still feels like a New York film built on restraint: a first-choice lead, tiny roles cast for silence, and real rooms that keep the isolation visible.
Silent partners were cast like leads
Casting director Avy Kaufman had a difficult assignment: fill an NC-17-rated film when actors were declining. She said, “I had so many passes I couldn’t even tell you.” McQueen wanted top-quality actors even for tiny parts, such as Brandon’s fly-by-night sexual partners. The idea was that those actors would propel the story with their silence, showing Brandon’s state of mind or suggesting a history with a look or a gesture.
Fassbender was the only name on the list
McQueen worked with producer Iain Canning on the 2008 film Hunger, and they reunited to develop Shame with Canning and Emile Sherman’s UK/Australia-based See-Saw Films. Screenwriter Abi Morgan was chosen to write the script; it was one of two films she worked on with Film4. Michael Fassbender, McQueen’s lead in Hunger, was the first and only choice to play the lead role. Carey Mulligan and James Badge Dale joined the cast in December 2010 as the younger sister and boss.
A January plan, an early March start
Production was scheduled to begin on location in New York in January 2011. Fassbender later commented in an interview that he just began shooting his scenes in early March. A majority of the film was shot in and around Chelsea.
The city became a character
The office scenes were filmed in the Citigroup Center. The hotel scenes and nightclub scene were shot at the Standard Hotel in the Meatpacking District, grounding the story’s private and public moments in real Manhattan spaces.
Venice crowned Fassbender
Shame premiered at the 68th Venice Film Festival in the main competition. Fassbender won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor for his role in the film. It also screened at Toronto, New York, London and Denver festivals.
Fox Searchlight bet around $400,000
Fox Searchlight Pictures paid around $400,000 to acquire the United States distribution rights. Shame began its limited US release on 2 December 2011, then opened in the UK on 13 January 2012.
Critics split on the film’s power
On Rotten Tomatoes, 79% of critics gave the film a positive review based on 230 reviews, with an average rating of 7.5/10. On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 72 out of 100, based on 41 critics. Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter called it “a real walk on the wild side” and praised a brilliant, ferocious performance by Michael Fassbender.
Ebert couldn’t face it twice
Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film four out of four stars and described it as “a powerful film” and “courageous and truthful.” He wrote, “I don’t believe I would be able to see it twice,” and later named it the second best film of 2011.
Which of these Shame details do you still think about?
Facts from Wikipedia: Shame (2011 film), available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Film images from TMDB. This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.
