SHAME

Michael Fassbender's performance in Shame is astonishing, and Steve McQueen's direction confidently puts the viewer inside the character's discomfort zone; the close-ups are too close, the awkward date scenes stretch on for too long. Shame isn't long on plot-it's more of a character sketch. When the time comes for a resolution, the story lands a bit too precisely on the side of drama for drama's sake. But that's beside the point. Shame is excellent filmmaking about something movies don't often discuss-the weird dance between attraction and release and disgust that powers the world in which we all live. (PAUL CONSTANT)