This isn't a great film, but I feel like it will eventually become an essential part of David Cronenberg's career. A Dangerous Method boils down so much of the thematic material in Cronenberg's earlier films, which makes the fact that it's basically a talky period drama not that surprising even though it should be. Both Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung are the main characters of the film, and their studies on human sexual behavior and psychoanalysis were probably studied by Cronenberg many times when he was making his earlier body-horror movies.
So the subject matter and all the conversations that Freud and Jung have are directly related to Cronenberg's sensibilities, and if you're a huge Cronenberg fan it's definitely a must watch. But I'm not sure it's a great movie. The film does not have a singular focus, instead it tries to be a film about the birth of psychoanalysis, the rise of a young psychologist studying under Freud, and a love story between a patient and her psychologist. The elements in the film were certainly connected, but tf it wants to satisfyingly tackle all of these stories it should have been much longer than the 99 minute runtime.
It may not have been exactly what I wanted, but A Dangerous Method is still always completely fascinating. This battle that Jung has between repressing his sexual desires and staying true to the monogamous relationship that he believes he must uphold makes for some inner conflict that is thrilling to behold, especially for a figure as educated and intellectual as Jung. I certainly was engaged in intellectual thought while watching and listening to Jung, Freud, and the very entertaining Keira Knightley, but it was the result of the dialogue and the real life figures in the film, rather than the filmmakers.
Grade: B-
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