Knightley tkaes on the part of Sabina Spielrein, a patient turned protégé and more of renowned psychiatrist of the early 20th century Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender). As the two explore the world of psychoanalysis they both come into professional and personal relationships with the father of psychoanalysis himself Sigmund Freud (Viggo Mortensen). Sex, suspicion and taboos become the name of the game as the "dangerous" method escalates quickly into fundamentally broken people taking advantage of what should be a professional relationship.
The trio deliver a sex fuelled and sex focusses story in an interestingly clinical way. With Freud who, literally everyone can agree, was totally obsessed with sex, it was the centre of his life's work and understandably it becomes part of his scientific profession. Fassbender and Mortensen are brilliant as the reserved psychologists who want to give the appearance of open books but in reality have their cards very close to their chest. Knightley on the other hand is fantastic as the broken but almost perfectly repaired pioneer of women in the psychology field. There's one scene particularly early on, where in the throes of her illness you see the image of the insane realising they're insane and it's truly heartbreaking. I honestly felt bad for the years of slating her, but thankfully Domino flashed up in my memory and I was at peace again.
David Cronenberg's film delivers three straight up strange characters who are all the best for the perfect casting choices made in production (once you get past Aragorn off of LotR being in an Austrian office). Stuck in the realms of reality, the story is bound by what actually transpired between these three pioneers but A Dangerous Method produces an interesting and often enjoyably uncomfortable dynamic between three physicians who themselves are so very wounded.
No comments:
Post a Comment