Trailer Park: Michael Fassbender Plays A Sex Addict In The Intense And Powerful “Shame”

Steve McQueen directs an intense, risky drama about sex addiction.

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Complex Original

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He may only have two films on his resume, but director Steve McQueen has quickly made a name for himself as one of the most impresive talents in the independent movie scene. His first movie, Hunger (2008), was introduced critics and indie audiences to one Michael Fassbender, who's since become one of the game's top actors (as evidenced in X-Men: First Class, for example). On their Martin Scorsese/Robert De Niro ish, McQueen and Fassbender have reteamed for Shame, a disturbing look at the emotional toll that sex addiction has on a man’s life.

Having seen the film, we can assure you that's one of the year's best, as well as incredibly intense; this first trailer perfectly nails that tone. Shame is a dark, uncompromising look at what this type of behavior does to a man, and the people around him who suffer. McQueen could have easily made the topic of sex addiction into a comedy for frat boys everywhere, but he's not that kind of filmmaker. Shame, anchored by Fassbender's dynamite performance, focuses on the real life implications and presents this way of life as a burden, as opposed to the tongue-in-cheek way it is traditionally spoken about in the media.

At this early point in his career, there's nothing that Fassbender can’t do. He’s and actor’s actor who brings undying commitment and believability to every role that he is in; with Shame, he looks to portray the internal torture that someone dealing with this addiction faces without ever playing it over-the-top. There's a slow build to this trailer that coincides with Fassbender’s heavy breathing that eventually culminates in an ending that's more intense than movies themselves. For any movie studio out there trying to figure out how to cut a trailer, this is the way to do it. It sets the table without spoiling a single thing.

We were already sold, but now you should be, too. Shame is set to open on December 2nd.

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