November 16th, 2011 at 1:45 pm by
Sheri

The new poster for Steve McQueen’s Shame is the best one yet. It shows us Michael Fassbender as Brandon certainly, but it also shows us Carey Mulligan’s Sissy. Just from the use of color and the positioning of the actors’ heads, we can begin to understand the tone of the film and their relationship. They are brother and sister, but they live their lives hiding from each other (and everyone else). Despite whatever else you’ve heard, Shame is not about sex, it’s about pain.
I hope you’re not tired of me talking about this film. Since it’s officially rated NC-17, the promotion will primarily be limited to the internet. I’m doing my part.
Last year, Harvey Weinstein was so incensed that Blue Valentine earned a NC-17 that he personally petitioned the Motion Pictures Assn. of America in the hopes they’d change their minds. His fear supposedly was that an NC-17 would harm the film's commercial prospects. In my estimation the rating as well as Harvey’s “fight” served the film, a small little art house number that probably would have slid under the radar of most people anyway, despite its A-list cast (Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams) and good reviews.
Steve McQueen says he’s not worried about the rating affecting Shame’s potential at the box office. In fact,his star (Fassbender) believes, it may help boost ticket sales.
"I think it can be an alright thing. It can stimulate curiosity for sure," the actor told the LA Times on the red carpet at the AFI Fest premiere of the film in Hollywood on November 9. He added, "I think it's unusual that a lot of violent films seem to pass through the system easily enough. But whenever you sort of try to question or deal with sex, it becomes something that's dirty or not to be watched — so I find that to be confusing." He has a point.
Enjoy the poster and some pics of Fassy at a photocall in San Francisco this past weekend. We’ll talk again I’m sure.