Movie Review: A Dangerous Method

A scene from 'A Dangerous Method'. Courtesy eOne Films.

Despite being adapted from both John Kerr’s book A Most Dangerous Method and screenwriter Christopher Hampton’s stage play The Talking Cure, a film looking at the professional and personal relationships of psychoanalysts Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung seems like something that was always tailor made for director David Cronenberg. Known predominantly for his use of psychosexual and Freudian imagery in nearly all of his best known films, Cronenberg seems to defy critical expectations with A Dangerous Method, a fairly safe period drama that looks at the more human nature between these colleagues instead of trying too hard to inject an unnecessary layer of added subtext.

Michael Fassbender stars as Jung living in Zurich circa 1904 just as he is about to test out Freud’s “talking cure” on a disturbed young woman named Sabrina (Kiera Knightley) who comes from a history of familial sexual abuse. Jung begins talking to the vastly more uptight and obstinate Freud (Viggo Mortensen) about the case and the two spark a genial, if somewhat competitive relationship. Matters become more complicated for Jung as he beings an adulterous affair with Sabrina, who herself shows a natural ability for clinical analysis once her recovery begins to take hold.

For better or worse, there really isn’t a heck of a lot to talk about while discussing the psychological aspects of the film. Viewers expecting intertextual allusions to psychoanalytic theory that are prominent in Cronenberg’s horror and sci-fi outings might walk away disappointed by how open and up front everything appears. Hampton’s screenplay doesn’t contain stilted discourse about specific theory, and Cronenberg seems to want to do nothing more than craft a competent costume drama that doesn’t shy away from depicting Jung as a sexual being capable of personal introspection.

Fassbender rightfully commands the film in the lead and he plays wonderfully against co-stars that have to equally influence and hinder his professional work. In his scenes with Knightley Fassbender has to be equal part clinical, empathetic, conflicted, and lustful. With simple glances and gestures, he has to convey nearly all the subtext of the film. In his scenes with Mortensen, he has to play Jung as eager at first before slowly growing frustrated and suspicious. It’s another fully realized performance for the actor to add to a truly wonderful year of work.

Knightley and Mortensen do their share of heavy lifting, as well. As Sabrina, Knightley has somewhat unfairly been taken to task by some critics for playing too broad in the opening sequence of the film. In truth, Knightley handles herself quite well as a young woman in the throes of dementia by being scared, vulnerable, and oddly alluring.

Mortensen seems to be having fun as Freud, characterized here by Cronenberg and Hampton as a man incapable of thinking anything he’s ever said to be wrong or subject to criticism. Barely wanting to look up from his pipe to make eye contact with someone, Mortensen plays Freud as a person for whom human interaction might seem almost painful. As Freud’s misgivings for Jung’s decidedly different approache in psychological evaluation begins to weigh heavily on their relationship, the tete a tete between the men showcases the movie’s true strengths.

A similar relationship is struck between Jung and another patient and fellow psychiatrist named Otto Gross, played by a tremendous Vincent Cassll, in a subplot that one wishes were better fleshed out. It stands out as being one of the better moments in the film in terms of acting and direction, but it ultimately doesn’t really go anywhere exciting and nothing is really added to the final product by its inclusion.

It’s hard not to want something more from a film like this when directed by someone as well versed in the topic as Cronenberg clearly is. There could have been a bit more creativity to make it rise above its period picture trappings, but A Dangerous Method is still a polished and credible work of filmmaking from one of the best directors of our time.

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