20 Underrated Movies You Have To See

Shame, directed by the brilliant Steve McQueen (Hunger, 12 Years a Slave, Widows), has to be one of the best films of the 2010s. Released in 2012 to a warm critical response and a so-so box office performance, it bravely and intelligently tackles themes of love, addiction, and depression with care and understanding.

Brandon (Michael Fassbender) is a seemingly successful and ordinary New York businessman who harbours the secret that he is a sex addict. Because of his addiction he is a socially and emotionally removed man who needs constant intimacy. After his sister, Sissy (Carey Mulligan), a clinically depressed lounge singer, barges into his apartment to stay a while, Brandon is forced to come face to face with the addiction that has consumed his life.

A film all about character and human behaviour, Shame's power is its two lead stars: Fassbender gives his best ever performance as a man consumed by his vices and need to feel, and watching him as he goes on his gritty and emotional - and very dark - journey is nothing short of extraordinary. Mulligan, meanwhile, plays a seemingly confident young woman weighed down by her stumbling mental health with maturity and an eye for fine detail.

It may not be everyone's cup of tea, as the subject is graphic and extremely bleak in places, but thanks to intelligent direction from McQueen and sensitive performances from Fassbender and Mulligan, it's worth watching simply as an engrossing, enchanting viewing experience.