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!
