Blu-Ray/Movie Review: A Dangerous Method

 

A Dangerous Method, a 2011 drama starring Keira Knightley, Viggo Mortensen, Michael Fassbender, Vincent Cassel, and Sarah Gadon. It is about the relationship between Carl Jung (played by Michael Fassbender), Sigmund Freud (played by Viggo Mortensen), and Sabina Spielrein (played by Keira Knightley), and the birth of psychoanalysis. The "method" is the talking cure that Freud developed and Jung put into practice. One of the people Jung used the method on was Spielrein, who went from being his patient suffering from "hysteria" to his mistress. She then became a colleague after Jung encouraged her to go to medical school, after which she also became a psychiatrist and a psychoanalyst. 

Many people may watch the movie just because of the joke about a particular scene made on an episode of Family Guy (and yes, that scene is quite something), but the movie is really quite good outside of that. Knightley really shines in her role as Spielrein, playing someone who goes from crazy and playing in the mud to being a doctor herself, but always seemingly on the edge of slipping back into hysteria. The movie also does a great job detailing the complicated relationship between Jung and Freud from their initial meeting to their eventual falling out. The film spans a nine-year period in the 1900s that ends just before World War I begins. 

The Blu-Ray is a single-disc release. The A/V quality is outstanding. The film looks and sounds terrific in HD. The extras, however, are pretty light. There is a commentary track on the film with the Director, David Cronenberg, that provides a lot of detail about the story and discusses aspects of the filming process. Then, there is a short behind-the-scenes featurette and a moderated discussion with Cronenberg. What was included was good, but not extensive. Although I would not expect more bonus material from a lower-budget independent movie.

Ultimately, it is an excellent film, well-written and very well-acted. It is very much a period piece and tries to be an accurate historical drama. In fact, much of the script was put together based on the extensive correspondence between the real people that have been preserved over the years. So, if you are a fan of historical dramas, especially ones that are not massive blockbusters, this is definitely worth checking out.