This
should have been subtitled ‘all you need to know about how psychoanalysis was
first created when Freud & Jung decided all our behavioral ‘problems’ were
based on sexual hang-ups’. Of course in
David Cronenberg’s movie, almost drowning in dialogue, the psycho-babble
between these two great men in particular gives a much more refined take than I
do on this complicated science that is much more a history lesson than just another
period costume drama.
Carl
Jung starts putting some of his early theories into practice when Sabina
Spielrein a pretty young manic Russian becomes first his patient, then his mistress,
and later when she is ‘cured’ and now a qualified analyst, becomes a
colleague. It's really over her case initially
that Jung first consults Freud who even then, is held in high esteem for the unorthodox
methods that he is using with great success. The two men collaborate successfully until
Freud learns about Jung’s affair with Spielrien, a situation that he strongly
disapproves off. It’s not the reason the
two men eventually fall out but actually Jung’s insistence on wanting to pursue his
interest in mystical and supernatural phenomena, which Freud claims will only
discredit their good work together.
What
we don't see in this film is what happened after the two men ‘split’ … Freud fled to London in ‘1938 to escape the
Nazis, and then died of cancer the following year. Jung lived until 1961 and by then his
reputation was starting to eclipse that of Freud.
Michael
Fassbinder was completely compelling as Jung matched with a beautiful performance
by Viggo Mortensen as Freud. I will
confess however that I was in need of Sigmund’s couch whilst watching the
movie, because Sabrina was played by Keira Knightly (Frightly!) who I
loathe almost as much as seeing the dreadful Ms. Catherine Zeta Jones in any movie. (Yes, THAT much!). As he tried to analyze me
I would have to assure Professor Freud that my strong feelings about her as she
embarrassingly overacted all her ‘mad’ scenes has definite NO sexual connotations
whatever at all. Incidentally, Sabrina's best line was when she was locked up and screaming ' I am vile and corrupt. I must never be let out here.' If only.
It
may help your enjoyment factor if you went into this movie knowing a tad more about psychoanalysis
than I did (which is not difficult!), and also want to know more about how it
all came into being. Otherwise it will
appear like just another very good stage play that has been adapted for the big
screen. With scary Kiera!
★★★★★★★
★★★★★★★
