Search/Recent Changes
DBTropes
...it's like TV Tropes, but LINKED DATA!

Shame

 Shame
type
TVTItem
 Shame
label
Shame
 Shame
page
Shame
 Shame
comment
Shame is a 2011 British erotic psychological drama film directed and co-written by Steve McQueen, starring Michael Fassbender (in his second McQueen lead performance after Hunger) and Carey Mulligan.Brandon Sullivan (Fassbender) is a 30-something yuppie New Yorker with a respectable job, a charismatic personality, and a dark secret that controls his life: he suffers from Sex Addiction. As a result, he lives a private life full of porn and fixes from anonymous women, his compulsive desire for physical exchanges as strong as his shunning of emotional intimacy. When his little sister Sissy (Mulligan) shows up unannounced and insists on staying with him, Brandon's carefully cultivated world is thrown off balance, and his life spirals out of control.The film earned the dreaded NC-17 rating in the United States due to the sheer amount of graphic nudity and sex depicted, though the filmmakers expected it and released it unchanged.Not to be confused with the 1968 Ingmar Bergman film of the same name (when translated from Swedish).
 Shame
fetched
2023-07-22T17:13:09Z
 Shame
parsed
2023-07-22T17:13:09Z
 Shame
processingComment
Dropped link to GreyRainOfDepression: Not a Feature - UNKNOWN
 Shame
processingUnknown
GreyRainOfDepression
 Shame
isPartOf
DBTropes
 Shame / int_129749df
type
All Men Are Perverts
 Shame / int_129749df
comment
All Men Are Perverts: Played straight by Brandon's boss, but played with in the case of Brandon himself: he's a sex addict who engages in all kinds of unseemly behaviour, but he is filled with self-disgust and self-loathing because of it, and he has no desire to be the way he is.
 Shame / int_129749df
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shame / int_129749df
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shame
hasFeature
Shame / int_129749df
 Shame / int_12b6fe15
type
Walk and Talk
 Shame / int_12b6fe15
comment
Walk and Talk: Brandon and Marianne after their date.
 Shame / int_12b6fe15
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shame / int_12b6fe15
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shame
hasFeature
Shame / int_12b6fe15
 Shame / int_146f8df0
type
Situational Sexuality
 Shame / int_146f8df0
comment
Situational Sexuality: Brandon seems to have no problem sleeping with men as well as women if the circumstances demand it.
 Shame / int_146f8df0
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shame / int_146f8df0
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shame
hasFeature
Shame / int_146f8df0
 Shame / int_14ed6ab7
type
Does This Remind You of Anything?
 Shame / int_14ed6ab7
comment
Does This Remind You of Anything?: One of the most forward examples of Incest Subtext in the film is the scene where Brandon pins Sissy to the couch and yells at her. Due to the fact that he's naked and she's screaming at him to get off and that he's hurting her, the whole thing comes off as eerily similar to a rape.
 Shame / int_14ed6ab7
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shame / int_14ed6ab7
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shame
hasFeature
Shame / int_14ed6ab7
 Shame / int_1b2546f2
type
Bait-and-Switch Suicide
 Shame / int_1b2546f2
comment
Bait-and-Switch Suicide: Subverted. Sissy is established to be unstable and impulsive, possibly suffering from borderline personality disorder and routinely engaging in self-destructive behavior. Near the end of the film, Brandon is on a subway which is abruptly stopped owing to an unspecified incident, and it appears that Sissy may have jumped in front of the train — but she hasn't. But when Brandon gets home, he finds that she has slit her wrists. Fortunately, he's not too late to save her.
 Shame / int_1b2546f2
featureApplicability
-0.3
 Shame / int_1b2546f2
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shame
hasFeature
Shame / int_1b2546f2
 Shame / int_1b40fc16
type
Extreme Libido
 Shame / int_1b40fc16
comment
Extreme Libido: Brandon, who has a sex addiction.
 Shame / int_1b40fc16
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shame / int_1b40fc16
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shame
hasFeature
Shame / int_1b40fc16
 Shame / int_1ea248b4
type
Neat Freak
 Shame / int_1ea248b4
comment
Neat Freak: Brandon is rather compulsive about cleaning himself.
 Shame / int_1ea248b4
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shame / int_1ea248b4
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shame
hasFeature
Shame / int_1ea248b4
 Shame / int_2059a430
type
The Hedonist
 Shame / int_2059a430
comment
The Hedonist: Brandon is continuously seeking sexual pleasure.
 Shame / int_2059a430
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shame / int_2059a430
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shame
hasFeature
Shame / int_2059a430
 Shame / int_21d70919
type
Crapsack World
 Shame / int_21d70919
comment
Crapsack World: It's implied that the fast-moving life in a city like New York and the social expectations that come with it are partly responsible for Brandon's addiction.
 Shame / int_21d70919
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shame / int_21d70919
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shame
hasFeature
Shame / int_21d70919
 Shame / int_2a4e8051
type
Sexual Karma
 Shame / int_2a4e8051
comment
Sexual Karma: Played With. The protagonist Brandon is a sex addict, masturbating and browsing porn in the time between screwing random women, and sometimes even during said screwing. But when he's finally able to have sex with someone he actually has an emotional connection with, he can't get it up. Commitment is a turnoff to him, so he remains trapped in his shallow lifestyle.
 Shame / int_2a4e8051
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shame / int_2a4e8051
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shame
hasFeature
Shame / int_2a4e8051
 Shame / int_2db90f77
type
Contemplative Boss
 Shame / int_2db90f77
comment
Contemplative Boss: Subverted by Brandon and one of his prostitutes having sex in this position.
 Shame / int_2db90f77
featureApplicability
-0.3
 Shame / int_2db90f77
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shame
hasFeature
Shame / int_2db90f77
 Shame / int_35b241c0
type
Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping
 Shame / int_35b241c0
comment
Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping: Downplayed; both Fassbender and Mulligan do a game job with their sort-of Jersey accents, but if you listen closely you can hear him clip his ending consonants like they're German, and she lets loose a few vowel sounds more appropriate to England.
 Shame / int_35b241c0
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shame / int_35b241c0
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shame
hasFeature
Shame / int_35b241c0
 Shame / int_3c0a4666
type
Noodle Incident
 Shame / int_3c0a4666
comment
Noodle Incident: Whatever happened in Brandon and Sissy's childhood is ambiguous, but it was traumatic, as it leaves Brandon an almost emotionless sex addict, and Sissy a suicidal wreck.
 Shame / int_3c0a4666
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shame / int_3c0a4666
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shame
hasFeature
Shame / int_3c0a4666
 Shame / int_3d0e614c
type
Gay Cruising
 Shame / int_3d0e614c
comment
Gay Cruising: After getting beaten up at one nightclub and banned from another, Brandon cruises in a gay bar and makes out with and gets blown by a guy.
 Shame / int_3d0e614c
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shame / int_3d0e614c
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shame
hasFeature
Shame / int_3d0e614c
 Shame / int_40cc0c7e
type
Bittersweet Ending
 Shame / int_40cc0c7e
comment
Bittersweet Ending: Brandon's issues contribute to Sissy attempting suicide for what is likely not the first time. However, the thought of nearly losing his sister — the only person he has something of a connection with — shakes him to his core. At the very end of the film, Brandon is seen watching the same married woman that he flirted with in the very first scene of the film, only this time the woman initiates the flirt instead of him, and he doesn't really respond to it, indicating that he could be trying to change his habits.
 Shame / int_40cc0c7e
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shame / int_40cc0c7e
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shame
hasFeature
Shame / int_40cc0c7e
 Shame / int_42215dce
type
Ambiguous Ending
 Shame / int_42215dce
comment
Ambiguous Ending: After dealing with the intense ramifications of his addiction on his life, Brandon encounters the same woman he flirted with on the subway at the start of the film. While she eyes him with interest, Brandon remains hesitant. As she stands to exit at the next station, Brandon remains seated but notably doesn't take his eyes off of her. As the train slows, the film cuts to black, leaving it uncertain as to whether Brandon will control his urges or give into them once more.
 Shame / int_42215dce
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shame / int_42215dce
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shame
hasFeature
Shame / int_42215dce
 Shame / int_49a2599d
type
Platonic Prostitution
 Shame / int_49a2599d
comment
Platonic Prostitution: Played with - Brandon hires numerous prostitutes for sex, but at times seems to be trying to form some sort of emotional connection with them, perhaps just out of sheer desperation. They always politely decline.
 Shame / int_49a2599d
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shame / int_49a2599d
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shame
hasFeature
Shame / int_49a2599d
 Shame / int_4db42cf3
type
Male Frontal Nudity
 Shame / int_4db42cf3
comment
Male Frontal Nudity: And how! The very beginning of the film features extended looks at Fassbender's not-so-little soldier.
 Shame / int_4db42cf3
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shame / int_4db42cf3
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shame
hasFeature
Shame / int_4db42cf3
 Shame / int_5313c266
type
Bookends
 Shame / int_5313c266
comment
Book Ends: The film opens with Brandon wordlessly flirting with an engaged woman on the subway, who reciprocates but then becomes uncomfortable. The film ends on the subway once more with a flipped scenario; the same woman initiates the flirting, and Brandon is uncomfortable.
 Shame / int_5313c266
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shame / int_5313c266
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shame
hasFeature
Shame / int_5313c266
 Shame / int_5565bf30
type
Three-Way Sex
 Shame / int_5565bf30
comment
Three-Way Sex: Brandon has this with two prostitutes while a tearful voicemail from Sissy plays over it, to jarring effect.
 Shame / int_5565bf30
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shame / int_5565bf30
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shame
hasFeature
Shame / int_5565bf30
 Shame / int_6563aeb6
type
Shameless Fanservice Girl
 Shame / int_6563aeb6
comment
Shameless Fanservice Girl: Brandon walks in on Sissy in the shower and he (and the audience) sees all of her. She doesn't seem to care very much, though he does.
 Shame / int_6563aeb6
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shame / int_6563aeb6
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shame
hasFeature
Shame / int_6563aeb6
 Shame / int_657f77e4
type
Caught with Your Pants Down
 Shame / int_657f77e4
comment
Caught with Your Pants Down: At one point, Sissy interrupts Brandon in the bathroom getting himself off.
 Shame / int_657f77e4
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shame / int_657f77e4
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shame
hasFeature
Shame / int_657f77e4
 Shame / int_6b2b3b59
type
The Reveal
 Shame / int_6b2b3b59
comment
The Reveal: For about the first half of the film, the audience is being led to believe that Sissy is an ex of Brandon's until he tells someone at work that his sister is staying with him.
 Shame / int_6b2b3b59
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shame / int_6b2b3b59
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shame
hasFeature
Shame / int_6b2b3b59
 Shame / int_6c87dbef
type
Masturbation Means Sexual Frustration
 Shame / int_6c87dbef
comment
Masturbation Means Sexual Frustration: We see Brandon engaging in this a few times. We get the impression he does it frequently at work.
 Shame / int_6c87dbef
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shame / int_6c87dbef
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shame
hasFeature
Shame / int_6c87dbef
 Shame / int_6d332aea
type
Driven to Suicide
 Shame / int_6d332aea
comment
Driven to Suicide: Sissy slits her wrists towards the end of the film, although she survives. It's established earlier that she has scars from previous attempts.
 Shame / int_6d332aea
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shame / int_6d332aea
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shame
hasFeature
Shame / int_6d332aea
 Shame / int_7febc23b
type
Establishing Character Moment
 Shame / int_7febc23b
comment
Establishing Character Moment: The opening scene of Brandon considering sleeping with a married woman he doesn't even know. Not only does it show he's a sex addict, but it also hints at the difficulty he has connecting with other people, especially romantically (which is why he fills the void with meaningless sex).
 Shame / int_7febc23b
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shame / int_7febc23b
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shame
hasFeature
Shame / int_7febc23b
 Shame / int_963c6133
type
Promiscuity After Rape
 Shame / int_963c6133
comment
Promiscuity After Rape: It is never explicitly stated that Brandon or Sissy have been sexually abused, but it is strongly implied that both have a history of sexual trauma and that their current behaviors are maladaptive coping techniques.
 Shame / int_963c6133
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shame / int_963c6133
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shame
hasFeature
Shame / int_963c6133
 Shame / int_96fbeaf
type
There Are No Therapists
 Shame / int_96fbeaf
comment
There Are No Therapists: And boy, are they needed.
 Shame / int_96fbeaf
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shame / int_96fbeaf
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shame
hasFeature
Shame / int_96fbeaf
 Shame / int_99e4958e
type
Wall Bang Her
 Shame / int_99e4958e
comment
Wall Bang Her: As he's out in the night, Brandon sees a couple engaged in this against a large glass window for the world to see, and it seems to symbolize a sexual freedom that he desires to attain. He ends up doing this with a prostitute later.
 Shame / int_99e4958e
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shame / int_99e4958e
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shame
hasFeature
Shame / int_99e4958e
 Shame / int_9d0cfdb9
type
Sex Is Evil, and I Am Horny
 Shame / int_9d0cfdb9
comment
Sex Is Evil, and I Am Horny: Subverted. Though Brandon has no religious conditioning to view extramarital sex as sinful or forbidden, it is generally compulsive and emotionally unhealthy for him. And he's pretty much always horny. The trope is also inverted when Brandon finally beds a woman to whom he has an emotional connection and can't get it up.
 Shame / int_9d0cfdb9
featureApplicability
-0.3
 Shame / int_9d0cfdb9
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shame
hasFeature
Shame / int_9d0cfdb9
 Shame / int_9d12bbc1
type
Foreshadowing
 Shame / int_9d12bbc1
comment
Foreshadowing / Red Herring: When Sissy first takes the metro with Brandon, she's awfully close to the edge of the platform and Brandon grabs her, prompting her not to do something silly (such as committing suicide). At the end of the movie, Brandon's train gets stopped a few meters before reaching the end of its platform by a person throwing themselves under its wheels (and the train gets evacuated for 'police investigation', with firemen et. al.). We get a very moving sequence in which Brandon realizes his sister probably was under the train, and he rushes to his home, expecting to find a goodbye note from her, but finding her instead. She was attempting suicide, alright, but she had chosen a different, slower method. It's very, very quick, but after Sissy sings at the lounge, when Brandon leaves the table to get drinks (the only moment in the film when we're not with him), David notices the cutting scars on Sissy's arm and asks about them, but she dismissively says that she was "bored when [she] was younger," and he doesn't press the issue. Later, in the hospital, Brandon notices them as well and realizes that she has been suicidal for a long time.
 Shame / int_9d12bbc1
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shame / int_9d12bbc1
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shame
hasFeature
Shame / int_9d12bbc1
 Shame / int_9e447c8c
type
Suspiciously Apropos Music
 Shame / int_9e447c8c
comment
Suspiciously Apropos Music: Likely invoked; when Brandon finds out Sissy has let herself into his apartment, his record player is playing Chic's "I Want Your Love". Considering her trying desperately to get him to reciprocate in their relationship (read: wanting his love) is what defines their dynamic, it's not a random choice of needle drop for her to use. There is also, however, the extra aspect of their dynamic unwittingly implied by a sister playing a song for her brother explicitly written about two lovers.
 Shame / int_9e447c8c
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shame / int_9e447c8c
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shame
hasFeature
Shame / int_9e447c8c
 Shame / int_a2ff4e6f
type
Single Tear
 Shame / int_a2ff4e6f
comment
Single Tear: When Sissy sings in the nightclub, a perfect single tear rolls down Brandon's face.
 Shame / int_a2ff4e6f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shame / int_a2ff4e6f
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shame
hasFeature
Shame / int_a2ff4e6f
 Shame / int_a33b90b2
type
Improv
 Shame / int_a33b90b2
comment
Improv: Several scenes were partially or largely ad-libbed, including Brandon and Marianne's date, leading to a realistically awkward conversation.
 Shame / int_a33b90b2
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shame / int_a33b90b2
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shame
hasFeature
Shame / int_a33b90b2
 Shame / int_a4a91366
type
It's All Junk
 Shame / int_a4a91366
comment
It's All Junk: Brandon has a breakdown after Sissy finds out about the extent of his porn addiction, including paying for camgirls, and throws out all his porn (including his laptop). It doesn't seem to help, because he's back out trawling for sex with prostitutes soon after.
 Shame / int_a4a91366
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shame / int_a4a91366
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shame
hasFeature
Shame / int_a4a91366
 Shame / int_a4c37cbe
type
Mood Whiplash
 Shame / int_a4c37cbe
comment
Mood Whiplash: Used a few times, most strikingly after Sissy catches Brandon having a private moment and thinks he's kidding when he angrily confronts her, only to become extremely scared and upset when she realizes he's not. Made all the more powerful because it's in one take.
 Shame / int_a4c37cbe
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shame / int_a4c37cbe
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shame
hasFeature
Shame / int_a4c37cbe
 Shame / int_a5096c48
type
Joisey
 Shame / int_a5096c48
comment
Joisey: Where Brandon and Sissy grew up.
 Shame / int_a5096c48
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shame / int_a5096c48
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shame
hasFeature
Shame / int_a5096c48
 Shame / int_a806691d
type
Casanova Wannabe
 Shame / int_a806691d
comment
Casanova Wannabe: David spends every waking moment hitting on women, even though he's married with kids, and seems to have a great time doing it even though he's often unsuccessful. Brandon, in contrast, seems to have no problem finding sexual partners, but it brings him virtually no happiness.
 Shame / int_a806691d
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shame / int_a806691d
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shame
hasFeature
Shame / int_a806691d
 Shame / int_abad35b4
type
Soundtrack Dissonance
 Shame / int_abad35b4
comment
Soundtrack Dissonance: Lots, such as when Brandon listens to gentle piano music when out running while Sissy and David have sex on his bed, and similar piano plays non-diegetically when he discovers Sissy bleeding out.
 Shame / int_abad35b4
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shame / int_abad35b4
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shame
hasFeature
Shame / int_abad35b4
 Shame / int_ad3e13c5
type
The Loins Sleep Tonight
 Shame / int_ad3e13c5
comment
The Loins Sleep Tonight: Brandon has no problem achieving arousal for the most part - except when in emotionally intimate circumstances, as his second "date" with Marianne demonstrates.
 Shame / int_ad3e13c5
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shame / int_ad3e13c5
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shame
hasFeature
Shame / int_ad3e13c5
 Shame / int_b11ac9f5
type
Abusive Parents
 Shame / int_b11ac9f5
comment
The film gives almost no backstory on the characters, leaving it to the audience's imagination to fill it in. The question if actual incest happened, or Abusive Parents are to blame for how screwed up the siblings are, has caused flame wars in even more distinguished film forums. Are they, perhaps, Not Blood Siblings?
 Shame / int_b11ac9f5
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shame / int_b11ac9f5
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shame
hasFeature
Shame / int_b11ac9f5
 Shame / int_b2af79fb
type
Leave the Camera Running
 Shame / int_b2af79fb
comment
Leave the Camera Running: McQueen loves these; multiple scenes (Brandon jogging, Brandon and Marianne's date, Sissy's performance, Brandon's and Sissy's argument, etc.) are shot in one long take.
 Shame / int_b2af79fb
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shame / int_b2af79fb
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shame
hasFeature
Shame / int_b2af79fb
 Shame / int_bdc453a0
type
Incest Subtext
 Shame / int_bdc453a0
comment
Incest Subtext: Brandon and Sissy's relationship is waaaaaaay open to interpretation. For example: Brandon takes Sissy's scarf and sniffs it after he discovers her in his apartment; they both show little disgust at him seeing her naked; after she catches him masturbating, he pins her down on a couch in nothing but a towel, and it slips off, leaving him naked on top of her (the scene is very reminiscent of Attempted Rape, including Sissy's panicked reaction); she tries to spoon with him in his bed after she's just had sex with his boss; he lovingly (and seemingly not in a brotherly way) watches her perform at a club; and he reacts to her having a sexual relationship with his boss as if he's jealous. Sissy also notes his odd behavior towards her in dialogue: The film gives almost no backstory on the characters, leaving it to the audience's imagination to fill it in. The question if actual incest happened, or Abusive Parents are to blame for how screwed up the siblings are, has caused flame wars in even more distinguished film forums. Are they, perhaps, Not Blood Siblings? More evidence comes in their argument scene. Despite that they are in a heated exchange of words, the scene starts with Sissy resting her head on Brandon's shoulder. At some points, their faces are very close each other to the point that they could've just kissed anytime if they ever wanted it. Really, if they weren't siblings, the scene can be very easily mistaken as an argument between a couple with an Awful Wedded Life.
 Shame / int_bdc453a0
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shame / int_bdc453a0
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shame
hasFeature
Shame / int_bdc453a0
 Shame / int_c04550fe
type
The Pornomancer
 Shame / int_c04550fe
comment
The Pornomancer: Brandon throws himself at women almost as frequently as they throw themselves at him.
 Shame / int_c04550fe
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shame / int_c04550fe
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shame
hasFeature
Shame / int_c04550fe
 Shame / int_c04b1231
type
Jump Scare
 Shame / int_c04b1231
comment
Jump Scare: When Brandon wants Sissy to get out of his room, he quietly but insistently asks a few times before resorting to terrifying her (and the audience) by suddenly screaming at her.
 Shame / int_c04b1231
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shame / int_c04b1231
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shame
hasFeature
Shame / int_c04b1231
 Shame / int_c660bc15
type
Fan Disservice
 Shame / int_c660bc15
comment
Fan Disservice: Lots of nudity and lots of sex, but in every case the context kills the erotica.
 Shame / int_c660bc15
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shame / int_c660bc15
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shame
hasFeature
Shame / int_c660bc15
 Shame / int_c86b7046
type
It's Not Porn, It's Art
 Shame / int_c86b7046
comment
It's Not Porn, It's Art: McQueen and the producers decided not to fight or appeal the NC-17 rating.
 Shame / int_c86b7046
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shame / int_c86b7046
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shame
hasFeature
Shame / int_c86b7046
 Shame / int_c9d55a7d
type
Romance and Sexuality Separation
 Shame / int_c9d55a7d
comment
Romance and Sexuality Separation: Brandon appears to have difficulty performing with women he is emotionally intimate with.
 Shame / int_c9d55a7d
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shame / int_c9d55a7d
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shame
hasFeature
Shame / int_c9d55a7d
 Shame / int_cfbbd075
type
Porn Stash
 Shame / int_cfbbd075
comment
Porn Stash: Brandon's office computer is full to the brim with porn. There's plenty in his apartment as well, which he disposes of when Sissy shows up.
 Shame / int_cfbbd075
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shame / int_cfbbd075
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shame
hasFeature
Shame / int_cfbbd075
 Shame / int_deecc9eb
type
Awful Wedded Life
 Shame / int_deecc9eb
comment
More evidence comes in their argument scene. Despite that they are in a heated exchange of words, the scene starts with Sissy resting her head on Brandon's shoulder. At some points, their faces are very close each other to the point that they could've just kissed anytime if they ever wanted it. Really, if they weren't siblings, the scene can be very easily mistaken as an argument between a couple with an Awful Wedded Life.
 Shame / int_deecc9eb
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shame / int_deecc9eb
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shame
hasFeature
Shame / int_deecc9eb
 Shame / int_e7e558
type
The Oner
 Shame / int_e7e558
comment
The Oner: There's actually a fair number of long takes. The three most notable are when Brandon jogs along 31st St. at night while Sissy and David are hooking up in his apartment, Brandon and Marianne's date and the scene with him and Sissy on the couch.
 Shame / int_e7e558
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shame / int_e7e558
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shame
hasFeature
Shame / int_e7e558
 Shame / int_f273b1cb
type
Devil in Plain Sight
 Shame / int_f273b1cb
comment
Devil in Plain Sight: The files on Brandon's computer hard drive are so obscene, his boss doesn't even suspect him, instead shifting potential blame on an intern.
 Shame / int_f273b1cb
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shame / int_f273b1cb
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shame
hasFeature
Shame / int_f273b1cb
 Shame / int_f6214be1
type
Hollywood Psych
 Shame / int_f6214be1
comment
Hollywood Psych: It's debatable whether sex addiction is a real disorder, or at least whether it's really an addiction or just an impulse control problem. The film portrays it more like drug addiction, with Brandon spending large amounts of money on his habit, putting a lot of effort into hiding and denying it, and becoming increasingly desperate when he can't indulge it.
 Shame / int_f6214be1
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shame / int_f6214be1
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shame
hasFeature
Shame / int_f6214be1
 Shame / int_f8014b20
type
Explicit Content
 Shame / int_f8014b20
comment
Explicit Content: Numerous unfulfilling sex scenes between Brandon and various women, not to mention the big-time porn and masturbation habits, serve to illustrate the character's damaging and compulsive sexual behavior.
 Shame / int_f8014b20
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shame / int_f8014b20
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shame
hasFeature
Shame / int_f8014b20
 Shame / int_f85354eb
type
Attempted Rape
 Shame / int_f85354eb
comment
For example: Brandon takes Sissy's scarf and sniffs it after he discovers her in his apartment; they both show little disgust at him seeing her naked; after she catches him masturbating, he pins her down on a couch in nothing but a towel, and it slips off, leaving him naked on top of her (the scene is very reminiscent of Attempted Rape, including Sissy's panicked reaction); she tries to spoon with him in his bed after she's just had sex with his boss; he lovingly (and seemingly not in a brotherly way) watches her perform at a club; and he reacts to her having a sexual relationship with his boss as if he's jealous. Sissy also notes his odd behavior towards her in dialogue:
 Shame / int_f85354eb
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shame / int_f85354eb
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shame
hasFeature
Shame / int_f85354eb
 Shame / int_f9ab4501
type
R-Rated Opening
 Shame / int_f9ab4501
comment
R-Rated Opening: One of the first scenes has Brandon walking around his apartment naked, so...
 Shame / int_f9ab4501
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shame / int_f9ab4501
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shame
hasFeature
Shame / int_f9ab4501
 Shame / int_fb4c41b4
type
"Friends" Rent Control
 Shame / int_fb4c41b4
comment
"Friends" Rent Control: Even for a guy with a high-paying white-collar job, Brandon has a pretty spacious apartment considering he lives in Manhattan.
 Shame / int_fb4c41b4
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shame / int_fb4c41b4
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shame
hasFeature
Shame / int_fb4c41b4
 Shame / int_fb56b948
type
My Sister Is Off-Limits
 Shame / int_fb56b948
comment
My Sister Is Off-Limits: Brandon is less than pleased about Sissy having sex with his boss. Whether it's because of this trope, because his boss is married with children or something else entirely is open to debate.
 Shame / int_fb56b948
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shame / int_fb56b948
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shame
hasFeature
Shame / int_fb56b948
 Shame / int_fed93e1b
type
Dark and Troubled Past
 Shame / int_fed93e1b
comment
Dark and Troubled Past: Sissy has a history of tumultuous relationships and self-harm, and it's hinted she has attempted suicide before.
 Shame / int_fed93e1b
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shame / int_fed93e1b
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shame
hasFeature
Shame / int_fed93e1b
 Shame / int_name
type
ItemName
 Shame / int_name
comment
 Shame / int_name
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shame / int_name
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shame
hasFeature
Shame / int_name
 Shame / int_name
itemName
Shame

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 Shame
hasFeature
Bait-and-Switch Suicide / int_ba9c900a
 Shame
hasFeature
Bigger Is Better in Bed / int_ba9c900a
 Shame
hasFeature
Caught with Your Pants Down / int_ba9c900a
 Shame
hasFeature
Extreme Libido / int_ba9c900a
 Shame
hasFeature
Films of 2010–2014 / int_ba9c900a
 Shame
hasFeature
Gay Cruising / int_ba9c900a
 Shame
hasFeature
Good People Have Good Sex / int_ba9c900a
 Shame
hasFeature
Improv / int_ba9c900a
 Shame
hasFeature
Incest Subtext / int_ba9c900a
 New Hollywood
seeAlso
Shame
 Shame
hasFeature
Porn Stash / int_ba9c900a
 Shame
hasFeature
Promiscuity After Rape / int_ba9c900a
 Shame
hasFeature
Romance and Sexuality Separation / int_ba9c900a
 Shame
hasFeature
Softer and Slower Cover / int_ba9c900a
 SteveMcQueen
seeAlso
Shame
 Shame
hasFeature
The Casanova / int_ba9c900a
 Shame
hasFeature
Wall Bang Her / int_ba9c900a