A Dangerous MethodIt is often said that the longest distance in the world is from head to the heart. Psychoanalysis purports to be the study of the mind, but in reality it is the study of the way our minds interact with our metaphorical hearts, how we understand ourselves as a comprehensive whole. When considering the advent of psychoanalysis, no doubt the name that comes to mind is Sigmund Freud; others include Carl Gustav Jung, both represented by Viggo Mortensen and Michael Fassbender respectively in David Cronenberg's adaptation of the play titled "The Talking Cure", A Dangerous Method. But less often recalled is Sabina Spielrein--played by Keira Knightley--and her contributions both to psychoanalysis, and the lives of these men.
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A Dangerous Method is reminiscent of another work of historical fiction adapted from the stage, Amadeus. Both films dramatize the history of these figures, blurring the lines between what "really happened" and what makes cinematic entertainment. A Dangerous Method is a period piece of the early 20th century, where an ambitious psychologist, Jung, has taken on Sabina Spielrein as his patient at the hospital he works for in Zurich, Switzerland. Sabina is in fits of hysteria, and yet Jung approaches her with a gentle hand, gradually gaining her trust and facilitating her admission of the sexual link between early childhood trauma which has caused her mind to become fragmented. In short, Jung cures her suffering, and she returns to her interests in psychology, with Jung as her mentor, much as Jung's method was taken from his own "father figure" of his practice, Freud. Jung approaches Freud in his efforts to treat Sabina, and Freud invites him to meet in person in Vienna, beginning their professional friendship, one which still shows the cracks from the start. Jung comes from an "Aryan" household, and is wealthy by virtue of his wife, Emma (Sarah Gadon), while Freud resents both Jung's wealth and his "race", evidenced in a conversation he later has with Spielrein. Jung comes to Freud as an eager pupil, starstruck even, and goes on at length about his analysis and even discusses his dreams with Freud for him to analyze. Freud may come across as arrogant, but he also appears to be a sharper wit at times, clever but also defensive, although Jung himself is apt to flat-out lie about revealing elements of his personal life on the other hand. Freud is also hospitable, so long as it is on his terms; he doesn't mince words when it comes to Jung's own assertions about the psychological elements which he would introduce--hinted at in A Dangerous Method--what would later be described as "Jungian archetypes", something Sabina speaks of with Carl when they talk of their mutual enjoyment of the Siegfried myth portrayed by Wagner's opera. And although critical of the particulars, Jung's adoption of the "talking cure" with Sabina is effective. Shots of deep focus with him sitting behind her establish himself as a presence in her mind, and act as a metaphor for the process at work in her psyche.
A Dangerous Method is about Jung and Freud's relationship--and it's collapse--but it is more so about Sabina's and Carl's. When Freud sends a reckless protegee, Otto Gross (Vincent Cassel), to be diagnosed and discourse both with Jung, Otto's radical (and frankly irresponsible) approach toward therapy plants the seed in Jung, giving license to explore his repressed feelings for Sabina, admittedly an action initiated by her at first. All the same, Carl walks through the door opened by her, and it could be said that Otto showed him the key was always in his hand. To put it in Jungian terms, Otto is something like Jung's "shadow", revealing the side of him he dare not face, but whose repression fosters his suffering. But if Otto would be described as the devil on the shoulder, it would not be right to say that Freud is the "angel". After rumors circulate about Carl's affair--and following his confrontation by Emma--he breaks things off with Sabina. Though still invested in her mental health, when she asserts that she intends for Freud to be her doctor, and pleads for Jung to reveal the lie he told him about his infidelity, Jung resigns and does so. When Freud reads the letter, his reaction is telling; it is one of a kind of satisfaction, as though he's more pleased to have a leg up on his rival via his admission. As Spielrein's own welfare and career flourishes, Jung and Freud's rivalry escalates; even under their feigned friendship lies a growing animosity. A discussion on the topic of religion has the build of tension and loaded conversation in a scene where even their other colleagues seem to virtually flee the room in their wake, the implications of their argument a series of thrusts and parries. Spielrein is caught in the middle of their respective interests, but ultimately acknowledges that she must forge her own path, based on her own understanding of psychoanalysis, just as Jung comes to realize following the conclusion of the story. In a way, Jung always appears to have an understanding of what he has to do. He talks about his dreams, looking for an analysis to give him insight, when one suspects he already knows, but requires affirmation to act. A Dangerous Method is about the painful transition of discovering one's self, even if it means crossing swords with those you admire or respect, and the necessity of taking the lessons taught by others and molding them to one's own unique situation, to blossom into life.
Recommended for: Fans of both a dramatized, historical account of the early outgrowth of psychoanalysis, as well as a story about the challenges two lovers face in understanding their desires, both physical and emotional.
A Dangerous Method is about Jung and Freud's relationship--and it's collapse--but it is more so about Sabina's and Carl's. When Freud sends a reckless protegee, Otto Gross (Vincent Cassel), to be diagnosed and discourse both with Jung, Otto's radical (and frankly irresponsible) approach toward therapy plants the seed in Jung, giving license to explore his repressed feelings for Sabina, admittedly an action initiated by her at first. All the same, Carl walks through the door opened by her, and it could be said that Otto showed him the key was always in his hand. To put it in Jungian terms, Otto is something like Jung's "shadow", revealing the side of him he dare not face, but whose repression fosters his suffering. But if Otto would be described as the devil on the shoulder, it would not be right to say that Freud is the "angel". After rumors circulate about Carl's affair--and following his confrontation by Emma--he breaks things off with Sabina. Though still invested in her mental health, when she asserts that she intends for Freud to be her doctor, and pleads for Jung to reveal the lie he told him about his infidelity, Jung resigns and does so. When Freud reads the letter, his reaction is telling; it is one of a kind of satisfaction, as though he's more pleased to have a leg up on his rival via his admission. As Spielrein's own welfare and career flourishes, Jung and Freud's rivalry escalates; even under their feigned friendship lies a growing animosity. A discussion on the topic of religion has the build of tension and loaded conversation in a scene where even their other colleagues seem to virtually flee the room in their wake, the implications of their argument a series of thrusts and parries. Spielrein is caught in the middle of their respective interests, but ultimately acknowledges that she must forge her own path, based on her own understanding of psychoanalysis, just as Jung comes to realize following the conclusion of the story. In a way, Jung always appears to have an understanding of what he has to do. He talks about his dreams, looking for an analysis to give him insight, when one suspects he already knows, but requires affirmation to act. A Dangerous Method is about the painful transition of discovering one's self, even if it means crossing swords with those you admire or respect, and the necessity of taking the lessons taught by others and molding them to one's own unique situation, to blossom into life.
Recommended for: Fans of both a dramatized, historical account of the early outgrowth of psychoanalysis, as well as a story about the challenges two lovers face in understanding their desires, both physical and emotional.