A Dangerous Method

People have been using the psychology of Freud and Jung to analyze David Cronenberg’s films for years. Now Cronenberg has turned the table, and given us a film about the friendship between the two fathers of psychoanalysis.

I didn’t know what to expect - I don’t suppose many did. For a man known for his violent oeuvre, A Dangerous Method is surprisingly academic and intimate. That’s not to say that the film is without violence, or sex, but it would more easily be qualified as a character study of Carl Jung. Michael Fassbender is fantastic as the young doctor, though it seems that his patients have more influence over him than he does over them. Keira Knightley is Jung’s patient, on whom he attempts Freud’s ‘talking cure,’ treating her hysteria with psychoanalytic dialogue. Jung’s practice of Freud’s theories is fodder for a friendship between the two men. In his third film with Cronenberg, Viggo Mortensen makes for a friendly and accessible Freud, constantly puffing away on cigars. Mortensen’s voice is remarkable; I could listen to him for hours. Still, it’s clear that Freud is less interested in Jung as a colleague than as a disciple. For all their discussion (their first meeting is said to have consisted of a thirteen hour conversation), Freud is the master, Jung is the student.

The overall theme of the film is intimacy - the unexpected places in which we find it, and the sudden ways in which it can be destroyed. There’s not much to be garnered here that you couldn’t find in reviews, articles, and interviews, but it is masterfully told with excellent performances. Vincent Cassel is a welcome addition to most any project, including this one. Even Knightley breaks from her usual coarseness for some effective acting, though her Sabina Spielrein is hardly the most graceful thing on film. The wordy screenplay is exactly what you’d expect from Christopher Hampton (Dangerous Liaisons, need I say more?) - highly detailed, but after half an hour, it feels as though the film should be much farther along. Thankfully it’s in Cronenberg’s hands, bound to be enlivened.

Knightley may be front and center in the artwork, but the film belongs to Fassbender and Mortensen. The film is a defining moment in Fassbender’s career as he takes the lead deftly and with great consideration. Sigmund Freud was originally to be played by Christoph Waltz, who would have no doubt been brilliant. He left the project to do Water for Elephants, which I am not entirely sure was the right decision for that film. It’s hard to imagine Christian Bale (also courted for the role of Freud) bringing the gentleness and ease of authority that Mortensen cultivates. I mean, he’s Batman, for pete’s sake. That’s like casting Daniel Craig as a revolutionary reporter. Oh wait... (coughGirl With the Dragon Tattoocough)

In any case, A Dangerous Method is a Cronenberg film I would actually watch again. To say that Cronenberg’s brazenly violent style and content is not my cup of tea would be an understatement - but the man has talent and does craft quality cinema. For those of us who haven't got the stomach for Videodrome or Eastern Promises, it’s a chance to see an excellent filmmaker at work.




Bonus link: Interesting article from Kevin Blumeyer at ropeofsilicon.com - all the cool parts of the commentary without having to watch the film again.

<http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/nine-things-i-learned-listening-to-david-cronenbergs-a-dangerous-method-blu-ray-commentary/>