A Dangerous Method

A Dangerous Method (2011)
Director: David Cronenberg
Actors: Michael Fassbender, Keira Knightley, Viggo Mortensen

Synopsis: Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender) a young disciple of the great Sigmund Freud (Viggo Mortensen), undertakes a mentally ill patient (Keira Knightley) and seeks to rehabilitate her with a new form of psychoanalytic treatment.

Review: A cerebral story imagined in a cerebral way. Director, David Cronenberg, is savvy enough to understand that what he has is an extremely stagebound and idea-heavy piece of work, and he goes with that. Obviously, there are themes in the scenario that echo Cronenberg’s habitual interests (transgression, sexuality, psychology), but he plays the material straight down the line, employing renowned playwright and screenwriter, Christopher Hampton, to make sure the dialogue is spot-on, and, in essence, relying on the experienced trio of lead actors to get on with it.

While Viggo Mortensen coasts with the least significant of the three parts, it’s probably the best thing I’ve seen from Michael Fassbender as Carl Jung – the moral centre of the film – and Keira Knightley navigates the tricky task of having her character transition from borderline madness at the beginning, to her dangerous infatuation with Jung while being treated, to the successful doctor, wife and parent she has become by the story’s end. (February 2012)