Biopics have always been a difficult genre. Making a film about the life of a famous figure is a balancing act. Bad biopics do little to expand on the figure's established reputation, often coming off as stuffy or obsequious in their celebration of his or her character. Good biopics, like David Cronenberg's "A Dangerous Method," look at the person in the context of his times and probe beneath the veneer of his legacy to reveal genuine aspects of his persona.
"A Dangerous Method" is a nuanced portrayal of the lives and careers of pioneering psychoanalysts Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender) and his elder mentor, Sigmund Freud (Viggo Mortensen). Keira Knightley plays Sabina Spielrein, a hysterical woman who transitions from Jung's patient to his colleague and lover, all the while complicating the relationship between Freud and Jung. Knightley's febrile performance captures the violent outbursts and caged sexuality that made Spielrein an object of unwholesome appeal for Jung and an ideal subject for Freud's overtly sexual psychological theories.
Cronenberg's precise, understated directing style and Christopher Hampton's remarkably taut script breathe life into a film that could have easily devolved into a generic, period-piece romance. While the plot of "A Dangerous Method" is relatively simple, it moves forward at a brisk pace thanks to the vibrant character portrayals and the sexual tension that lies at the film's core.
Jung is torn between his desire for Spielrein and the professional and moral implications of cheating on his wife. While this kind of conflict is frequently depicted in films, the psychological insight of the main characters transforms an ordinary conflict into a meditation on the nature of human sexuality and repression. Jung's overpowering attraction to Spielrein forces him to question the merits of sexual repression and the limitations of monogamy.
Vincent Cassel gives a vibrant, but brief performance as Otto Gross, a hedonistic and morally unscrupulous psychoanalyst who convinces Jung to consummate his desire for Spielrein.
In a Cronenberg-ian tradition, the sexual acts in "A Dangerous Method" are just as complicated as the characters that commit them. The affair between Jung and Spielrien is hardly your textbook romantic infidelity, and Cronenberg doesn't flinch in showing the audience what goes on behind closed doors.
Cronenberg has always been interested in the darker sides of sexuality — "Videodrome" (1983) showed how sex and intimacy evolve with technologies like TV, while "A History of Violence" (2005) explored the relationship between violence and sexual appeal. "A Dangerous Method" follows this trend, illustrating the connections between Spielrein's childhood abuse and her unconventional sexual preferences. Much of the nuance of "A Dangerous Method" is shown through Cronenberg's ability to depict these scenes of admittedly kinky sex in a substantive way that enhances the characters, rather than objectifying or undermining their subtle psychologies.
Despite the heated, erotic topics it addresses, "A Dangerous Method" is a remarkably controlled film. Scenes tend to be short and sweet, often with abrupt segues that keep viewers on their toes. One scene may depict beautiful Viennese architecture and Jung's cherubic children before cutting to a shot of Spielrein and Jung going at it with unnerving vigor. Cronenberg plays with the audience's associations with intimacy and sexuality, with virtuous family life and carnally satisfying extramarital relations, all the while keeping the focus of the film dutifully trained on the inner lives of his characters.
In a film culture that celebrates one-dimensional sexuality and simple romantic fulfillment, movies like "A Dangerous Method" show us that sexuality and human relationships are far more complex than our culture usually gives them credit for. "A Dangerous Method" may plumb the darker sides of these topics, but it does so in an exhilarating and enriching way.
