A Dangerous Method
2011
***
Director: David Cronenberg
Cast: Keira Knightley, Viggo Mortensen, Michael Fassbender, Vincent Cassel, Sarah Gadon, André Hennicke
At the turn of the 20th century, Doctor Carl Jung applies Sigmund Freud's psychoanalysis to treat Sabina Spielrein, a hysterical medical student. As Jung's approach to therapy becomes literally hands-on (unlike Jung, Freud only talks about sex), the mentor and his apprentice begin to drift apart. David Cronenberg's interesting but stagy and talky drama was adapted from Christopher Hampton's play The Talking Cure, which is based on John Kerr’s non-fiction book A Most Dangerous Method. It's beautifully staged, and Fassbender and Mortensen are wonderfully understated as Jung and Freud, respectively. Knightley, however, is a different case. Her exaggerated ticks and facial contortions may be medically accurate, but they feel terribly actorly. The story deals with big emotions, but it fails to establish an emotional connection to the characters. This is perhaps the only genuinely Cronenbergian touch in a film which otherwise seems like a departure for him.
