The story is based on the true life clash between Jung and Freud that eventually led to their estrangement and the split of psychoanalysis into two separate branches, Freudian and Jungian. Christopher Hampton's script is based on John Kerr's book A Most Dangerous Method: The Story of Jung, Freud and Sabina Spielrein which recounts the clash of the two founders of psychoanalysis and the influence of the Russian patient Spielrein who eventually became a pioneering psychiatrist herself specializing in child psychiatry.
Hampton's script grew out of his 2003 stage play The Talking Cure and the film does not shy away from the dialogue based nature of the action but instead embraces it with the long discussions of Jung and Freud on their first meeting in Vienna forming a key part of the action.
The story begins at a mental hospital outside Zurich where Jung is treating Spielrein who has violent seizures and has been hospitalized for hysteria. Jung decides to treat her with the Freudian method he has been studying and begins to speak with her learning that her mental condition stems from being abused by her father starting at an early age. As the "talking cure" begins to work Spielrein is revealed as an intelligent and beautiful woman that Jung is greatly attracted to. To get a better idea of how to treat her and to test his own ideas about psychoanalysis Jung travels to Vienna for a meeting with his master Freud. The two strong personalities speak for hours and establish a strong intellectual comradeship. Freud sees Jung as his student and heir. But Jung has his own ideas and wants to strike out in new directions chaffing under the discipline of the Freudian model. Returning to Switzerland, the married Jung embarks on a passionate affair with Spielrein, egged on by his patient Otto Gross who urges him to set aside his inhibitions.
Torn by guilt both as a husband and as a doctor Jung terminates the affair. But an angry Spielrein tries to expose him and eventually after a full recovery leaves Jung to join Freud in Vienna as his student.
The dialogue could easily flounder with Jung and Freud spouting such a series of profound pronouncements but under Hampton's deft handling it comes off all sounding entirely natural. Knightley gives one of the strongest performances of her career starting out as the hysterical and reckless Spielrein and transforming into the serious and intellectual professional whose thinking influenced both Freud's and Jung's theories. Fassbender also turns in a fine performance as the professional and disciplined Jung with the seething passion he is repressing lurking just below the surface.
Cinematographer Peter Suschitzky who is a regular Cronenberg collaborator lenses beautiful period settings for Zurich and Vienna that save the film from becoming a stage play and keep it cinematographic. Lush costumes and interiors complete the period feel.
A successful biographical tale with a contemporary feeling and plenty of sultry sex scenes this promises to be one of the most audience popular of Cronenberg's works.
Credits:
Germany, Canada
Director: David Cronenberg
Scriptwriter: Christopher Hampton
DoP: Peter Suschitzky
Cast: Keira Knightley, Viggo Mortensen, Michael Fassbender, Vincent Cassel, Sarah Gordon
Production: Recorded Picture Company
