Well, it would seem the Academy will be forced to pay attention to Steve McQueen‘s latest collaboration with Michael Fassbender as Fox Searchlight Pictures has acquired Shame for domestic distribution later this year with full plans to launch an Oscar campaign for the film and more specifically a Best Actor campaign for Fassbender.
The film debuted in Venice and played at Telluride shortly thereafter to glowing reviews and high marks for Fassbender as well as co-star Carey Mulligan. Though it may prove a tough sell to the Academy considering the graphic content.
The film centers on Brandon (Fassbender), a 30-something man living in New York who is unable to manage his sex life and after his wayward younger sister (Mulligan) moves into his apartment, his world spirals out of control.
David Gritten at indieWire wrote about the film saying it “would [presumably] receive an NC-17 rating” as “Fassbender has several scenes involving full-frontal nudity and Mulligan has one of her own.” And Deadline, reporting the news of the Searchlight pick up writes that McQueen has final cut and will not change a frame.
McQueen was quoted in a press release that was just sent out saying, “This is a brave statement and an important move by Fox Searchlight. I am very happy they came on board to release Shame in the U.S. It’s great to be working with a team that is so passionate about cinema.”
I will be seeing the film here in Toronto on Monday morning and after the reviews it has already received I can’t wait to check it out for myself. I wasn’t as big a fan of McQueen and Fassbender’s Hunger (read my Blu-ray review here) as most critics, but the talent in front of and behind the camera in that film are undeniable.
I just added Shame to my list of Best Picture predictions and after seeing A Dangerous Method earlier today (read my review here) and on the heels of this news I have also adjusted the Best Actor predictions, which I only posted this morning.
For more on Shame you can click here to watch a clip from the film and here to browse my gallery of 28 images.
