Shame (Steve McQueen, 2011)
What disappointment! Shame does away with everything that made Hunger so refreshing. The use of cinematic realism, the contemplative pacing, the argumentative and compelling style. I also think of the negative consequences of setting a film in America, which already has a dangerously taboo and repressive attitude toward sex in some circles, and portraying sex as a pathology.
Now I know from reading Gabor Mate that addiction rarely has a lot to do with the substance itself. No one is addicted to a deck of cards, but gambling can ruin someone's life. And I know that McQueen is not moralizing or trying to make some kind of anti-sex statement, but what kind of statement is he making? It felt more like an Aronofsky at times with its vignettes over heavy handed music.
Aaaah, I wanted to like this more!
Now I know from reading Gabor Mate that addiction rarely has a lot to do with the substance itself. No one is addicted to a deck of cards, but gambling can ruin someone's life. And I know that McQueen is not moralizing or trying to make some kind of anti-sex statement, but what kind of statement is he making? It felt more like an Aronofsky at times with its vignettes over heavy handed music.
Aaaah, I wanted to like this more!