Shame, the sophomore effort of transgressive filmmaker Steve McQueen, has been an indie cloaked in scandal since its premiere at the 68th Venice International Film Festival last fall. From there, word arose that both of Shame's leads, the rakishly handsome Michael Fassbender and the sweet-faced ingénue Carey Mulligan, would go full-frontal for the feature that centers on a pair of siblings with unconventional sexual mores. After the film hit stateside with a wave of critical acclaim, both for McQueen's daring and gritty tale of debauchery as well as Fassbender's mesmerizing performance, outcry arose from critics when the MPAA deemed full-frontal Fassbender an NC-17-worthy offense.
Still, Shame topped many critics' lists, and Fassbender gained serious buzz that earned him a BAFTA and Golden Globe nomination, and seemed sure to score the debonair actor an Oscar nod. However, when the Academy Award nominees were announced earlier this week, Shame was totally absent from the roster. Outraged critics and movie fans chalked up Shame's snub to the Academy's prudish prejudices, and it seemed that might be the indie's last hurrah.
But just when we thought there was nothing else Shame could yield to shock the world, Fox Searchlight unleashes a shocking new poster that has been deemed too hot for Hungary, which has refused to run the one-sheet promo seen below.
Image courtesy of Buzzfeed.
Personally, I'm taken aback by this graphic ad, as the film's early poster, which featured some wrinkled sheets, had a sharp subtlety to it. This is anything but subtle. Fox Searchlight is unlikely to be bothered, as this latest scandal will only draw more notice to the titillating and troubling drama. Who needs the Oscars?
Shame is now in limited release in the U.S., and its steadily expanding through Europe and Asia in the coming months.
