Shame

Steve McQueen's critically applauded and culturally polarising film Shame that was released in the UK in January of this year, receives a DVD release this coming Monday (14th May).

Starring Michael Fassbender (in all his glory) as Brandon, a seemingly straight-laced young man who works in a healthy office environment yet harbours a dark addiction of sex-related stimulation.  His laptop is full of porn, he masturbates at work and numerous times a day.  He has unprotected sex with women he meets in bars, and never sees them again.  Brandon is a sex addict.

Brandon is happy with his life, he has a routine.  He works hard at work, to fund his addiction and his lust for sex.  Yet he lacks a certain amount of intimacy with his day-to-day contacts due to his still exterior, yet inside he is awash with shame from his behaviour.  Hence the title of the film.

Brandon's routine and level of comfort is turned upside down when his sister Sissy (Carey Mulligan) comes to visit.  They are the only siblings from an Irish family, yet Sissy does not know of Brandon's addiction/problem and she feels compelled to help him or cement their relationship as stronger than it should be.

There is a real commitment by the two actors in their roles; Fassbender showed potential in McQueen's film debut Hunger, yet he goes further here with this performance; he appears in every scene of the film, and the arc of the character with its fair bit of dips and troughs must have been emotionally exhausting for the actor.  It is a credit to the performer, that a really nasty piece of work is turned into a sympathetic character by the film's end.

Mulligan is the opposite of Fassbender; her character is extrovert and keeps a lot out there; whilst Brandon is an introvert until he becomes involved with a sexual act.  Yet for such a small-ish role, she sparkles on screen and has a highlight when singing a stripped down version of 'New York, New York' which allows Brandon to have a moment of reflection and even well up at the sight of his sister singing.

A telling piece of the film is when Brandon attempts a date with Marianne (Nicole Behaire) from his office, there is a connection and chemistry between the two.  And when they attempt to have intercourse, where they feel the moment and Brandon attempts tenderness he is unable to fulfil the act.  The timidity and recklessness of the character is amplified when he then calls a hooker, and screws her in the window of his multi-story apartment.  Brandon is in control with the hooker, whilst with someone he could care for he is not and so unable to commit.

Brandon's journey gets worse and it comes to a head when Sissy needs his help and he is unable to.  By journey's end he is at the end of a dock and starts crying, the last scene revolves around a chance encounter with a girl Brandon saw at the film's beginning.  These two scenes that bookend the film are intriguing; the first one shows Brandon as a sexual predator as simple eye-flirting becomes more for him, and less for her.  The concluding scene has a certain sense of ambiguity to it, does Brandon smirk his Mona Lisa smile at the thought of being able to have sex with this woman finally, or the sight of her wearing a wedding ring mean his words to his sister about his boss feel hollow now.

Shame is a film that feels longer than it is, thanks in part to the installation pace of the work, the compelling hold the performances have on you and the message of the film will stay with you; and it is brave to film something about an addiction that is prevalent in this day and age of immediacy and emotional highs.

Shame is out on DVD from Momentum Pictures and Film4 on Monday

Mem Ferda/Pusher Interview

Hello Mem, thank you for taking the time to talk to me again. We spoke previously about your role in The Devil's Double, and now we are talking about your prominent role in Pusher, the remake of Nicolas Winding Refn's 1996 Danish classic.

What can you tell us about it?

This is an English language remake, set in London instead of Copenhagen. It's about a mid level drug dealer, Frank, and his aspirations of making lots of money fast.  This slowly spirals out of control when he owes large amounts of money to Turkish drug dealers.  Frank's life soon descends into a living hell losing everything he has. The film is a no-holds barred, gritty and real look into the underworld of drug pushing.

Tell us about your character Hakan, who you play in the movie.

Hakan is a 'nice' tough guy of Turkish descent, who works for Milo a drug baron.  He is a victim of circumstance, trapped into doing a job he doesn't like. He is not your stereotypical villain he has complex layers and dimensions to his personality, which makes him a fascinating character to play.

What research did you do for Hakan?

I did a lot, as I view each role as a unique commitment and opportunity to research.  You have to research to understand the real motivations of a given character, the more intricate and involved you become the better the result.  For me, Hakan depicted an accurate reflection of how people find themselves entangled in crime when trying to better them-selves. The script had me engrossed when I read it, so thanks to Matthew Read for doing such a good job.

How did the opportunity fall into your lap?

The conventional way via my agent setting up a meeting. The audition process was tough, as they always are. I was prepared and confident I'd do a good job.  I liked the original Pusher trilogy, I felt it translated internationally, appealing to all cultures. There isn't a city not affected by an underground drug trade, so the message is universal in the film.

The cast includes, Richard Coyle, Agyness Deyn, Zlatko Buric and director Luis Prieto doing his first English language film. What was it like working with them all?

I've worked with Richard before so it was brilliant to work with him again, he is hugely talented and a hard worker, which helped a lot. Agyness is lovely, down to earth with a warm, vibrant personality. Zlatko was fun, I had to teach him some Turkish dialogue for the Milo role, he nailed the pronunciation in no time. I had seen Luis' previous work 'Ho Voglia di te' and was excited to work with him.  He is a fine director.

Remakes can endorse a lack of orginality, where do you stand on them?

Personally, I feel one should have an open mind regarding remakes, and judge them on their own merits, I can guarantee you this remake is on par, if not better, than the 1996 original.

You have hit a nice run with The Devil's Double, Pusher and the forthcoming Ill Manors, what was Plan B like to work with?

I like Ben Drew, aka Plan B's music. His lyrics have a rebellious spirit which appeals to me personally and when I learnt he was doing a soundtrack for the film also, I was eager to get onboard.  I was intrigued to see how he would work as a director.. he was unconventional and stayed true to his convictions, having a strong idea of what he wanted.  Ill Manors is very dark, gritty and harsh, it is a hip hop musical that follows six characters on East London streets.

You’ve garnered a lot of credits to your name, how do you stay ambitious?

It's my job, which I enjoy doing and hope to keep on doing. After I achieved my BSc in Psychology and Master’s in Business Administration, I went on to do a Postgraduate in classical acting at LAMDA (London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art), I was snapped up by a mainstream agent and many doors opened for me.

You have a strong presence which helps you play many villains, do you worry about being typecast?

No, I feel a lot of actors get stereotyped, which is actually a good thing for it helps establish an identity.  It is competitive in acting and the chance to give yourself that identity is vital.  Now my preoccupation is to expand my range and versatility even more, so I’m being very cautious in the roles that are kindly offered to me.

How do you deal with all the media attention?

It can be awkward, the press can badger your nearest and dearest for a story which is annoying. But on the whole the appreciation from genuine fans makes up for this intrusion.  I'm quite grounded as an individual, and on the odd occasion when I do drift with my ego, I have a great partner that brings me back down to earth.

What is in the pipeline?

I have four feature films, three of which I am the leading man, which is exciting.  Two are horror films, which is a new genre for me and a thriller and a comedy.  I don't want to tempt fate by talking about them until I have to, but please go to my website www.memferda.com or follow me on twitter @memferda1 for details.

Thank you very much for your time, I wish you every success with the films.

 My pleasure, anytime.