A DANGEROUS METHOD (Canada/Germany 2011) **1/2
Directed by David Cronenberg

Director Cronenberg’s latest historic period drama, based on real-life events on Carl Jung (Michale Fassbender), Sigmund Freud (Viggo Moretensen) and a Russian mental patient, Sabina Spielrein (Keira Knightley) just skims the surface of psycho analysis and spends more emphasis on the over dramatic interactions of the three. 

But Cronenberg’s film is a feast to the eyes with its period setting and music to the ears with dialogue penned by Christopher Hampton.  The film is gorgeously shot with top notch costumes and sets and the actors all spur out perfect prose.  A DANGEROUS METHOD would garnish positive reviews despite its flaws.

Sabina arrives at the start of the film, and carried into a Zurich hospital suffering from a mental fit, while treated by Jung under scrutiny of his mentor, Freud.  The two argue at length over the treatment though it is the play of words that make more sense than the medical arguments.  It is of no surprise to find the script written by Oscar winner Christopher Hampton, based on his equally serious play ‘The Talking Cure’, which in turn is based on John Kerr’s book.  But the film fails to engage the audience into the real drama that is at hand.  No one really cares whose arguments are right, whether Sabina will survive or how psycho analysis will takes its course.  When the end credits roll, revealing what has happened to each character after the film ends, the audience realises that Cronenberg has basically told them nothing. 

There is a sadomasochistic sex scene with Sabina spanked by Jung, but the actors keep their clothes on.  Now that is crazy!