Let me start by saying this isn't for everyone, it's a movie about addiction - sex addiction in this case - and it is graphic at times (I don't just mean in terms of sex).
It focuses on Brandon (Michael Fassbender), a New York professional whose life is dictated by his sex addiction. He is actively distracted by the need to engage in pretty much any kind of sexual activity, he's not against paying for it and he'll shell out for a hotel room if need be. He looks at porn on his work computer and, at one point, goes to a place where he knows he'll get what he wants after almost being beaten to death by the boyfriend of a woman he's trying to seduce (rather disgustingly I might add).
His carefully constructed life is disrupted when his sister Sissy (Carey Mulligan) arrives on his doorstep unannounced (though you do note that she calls him a number of times but he ignores the phone) with her life in tatters.
Some of the graphic nature I refer to can be seen in his utter disinterest in his sister's plight and his disgust in her presence getting in the way of his 'pursuits'.
This doesn't sound like a great movie, does it? Well, you've got to look deeper.
Fassbender is remarkable in this film, his detachment is scary and while the subject matter is what it is, you can easily transfer it to other types of addiction.
Carey Mulligan is also excellent, Sissy is troubled in different ways and unlike her brother she is aware of the emotional connection that sex implies (to most people). Ironically, this is what causes her a lot of problems.
The two actors have to carry the film (particularly Fassbender) and while it's not easy viewing it is a very compelling, sometimes dire, examination of addition and its ramifications. The final scene is stunning as well.
While I couldn't say 'rush out and see this' I'll say it will probably be in my top 5 at the end of the year. An 8.5 out of 10.
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