Review: A Dangerous Method
Given its fascinating subject matter -- the friendship, collaboration and often bitter rivalry between Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung -- I had high hopes for A Dangerous Method.
After all, David Cronenberg's elegant period piece has the underpinnings of first-rate Oscar bait. Aside from its sexy true story of love, rivalry and fetishes (based on a well reviewed nonfiction book by clinical psychologist and historian John Kerr), A Dangerous Method also has a first-rate cast: Viggo Mortensen as Freud, Michael Fassbender as Jung and Keira Knightley as Sabina Spielrein, a young woman who was Jung's patient and lover as well as Freud's colleague and confidante.
But in spite of this pedigree, I'm ambivalent about the end result. Despite its sometimes startling sexuality, insights about the human mind, witty dialogue, strong performances (with one exception I'll get into later) and flawless attention to period detail, A Dangerous Method is surprisingly emotionally flat and languidly paced. A movie about sadomasochism and the birth of psychoanalysis should be more gripping than this.
Set in pre-World War I Vienna, Zurich and other greatly scenic locales, A Dangerous Method focuses on the relationship between Jung and Spielrein, whom Jung treats for hysteria starting when she's barely 18. Spielrein quickly reveals the source of her debilitating, histrionic fits: Her angry, distant father's frequent beatings left her an emotional basket case. She responds well to Jung's "talk therapy" and mostly regains her mental health, but she also reveals a powerful masochistic streak; being beaten is her major (and perhaps only) source of sexual pleasure. In their ensuing affair, Jung shows no hesitation as he obliges her fetish.
Meanwhile, Jung collaborates with the much older and more established Freud, who serves as mentor, confidante and intellectual foil for his relatively callow colleague. As history tells us, the partnership initially is productive; from their long, intense discussions and arguments come the origins of modern psychotherapy. But despite Freud and Jung's profound understanding of human behavior, they can't get beyond the worst aspects of human nature; their relationship devolves into jealousy and a battle for professional glory and control over the psychoanalytic movement.
Spielrein is a central figure throughout the film, an influential force on Jung (as a patient, case study and exceedingly kinky mistress) and Freud (as a psychology student and professional collaborator). Her relationships with the two men are complex; she unites them professionally while dividing them personally. Freud continually sniffs his disapproval of Jung and Spielrein's affair.
Again, given that A Dangerous Method is about the clash of two psychoanalytic titans -- one of whom has a mistress who likes to be whipped -- the film should be far more tantalizing than it is. It isn't a bad movie at all, just an oddly low-key one. Cronenberg's style is uncharacteristically restrained; after all, this is the director who gave us Scanners, Crash and A History of Violence. A Dangerous Method is smart and thought provoking, the sort of film that begs post-viewing coffeehouse discussions about the human animal. (And perhaps a visit to your local purveyor of sex toys.) But it demands more emotional amperage and snappier pacing than it delivers.
A Dangerous Method does deliver a moderate amount of emotional amperage; unfortunately, it's delivered quite ham-handedly in Knightley's sometimes embarrassing performance as Spielrein. The veteran actress -- whose credits date back to her early childhood, and who did fine work in prestige films like Pride and Prejudice and Atonement -- seems out of her league here. During Spielrein's bouts of hysteria, Knightley's twisted body language and jaw-jutting facial expressions are more bizarre and borderline comical than convincing. She also constantly slips in and out of Spielrein's Russian accent. Given that a consistent accent is fundamental to creating a believable character, I wonder why Cronenberg allowed such a glaring flub in a film with otherwise terrific performances.
I also found Knightley's nudity mostly gratuitous, as if showing us her breasts beneath a transparent wet gown or dangling in a mirror might distract us from her constantly changing accent. In one scene, she appears to suffer from a wardrobe malfunction, carrying on a conversation while a partially uncovered nipple stays in view for no apparent reason.
Fortunately, Mortensen and Fassbender fare much better. They're both exceptional, giving as much life to the world's most famous psychologists as the film's tone allows. Their interplay is intellectually intriguing, and their banter entertaining in an almost buddy-movie way, providing the film's few comic moments.
In addition, Vincent Cassel is captivating as maverick psychoanalyst and Freud disciple Otto Gross. I also credit Sarah Gadon as Jung's quietly suffering wife, Emma. In an astutely subtle performance that starkly contrasts Knightley's clumsiness, Gadon perfectly captures a stoic, sometimes inexplicably loyal woman who lives in the shadow of her famous (and famously philandering) husband.
A Dangerous Method is a generally high-quality movie that will appeal to anyone interested in the history of psychoanalysis. I also recommend it as a story with much to say about human sexuality. But with its restrained air and lack of cinematic spark, A Dangerous Method falls short of being a truly engaging film.