Sunday, July 15, 2012

"A Dangerous Method" - David Cronenberg (2011) - A Video Review



David Cronenberg's "A Dangerous Method" is nothing short of a masterpiece.


I realize the film is hardly new - it's been on Blu-ray and DVD for months now, but after watching it several times, I have to post something about it.

I'm at a loss trying to think of a word stronger than "adore" to describe how i felt about this film.

I wish this movie were a lollipop so i could lick it.

A friend of mine who had seen the film said she would have liked to see more about the work and lives of Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud.

But that's not the point of the film.

"A Dangerous Method" isn't about the work of these pioneering psychoanalysts, but about how their egos overshadowed their work.

The film follows Jung and his patient, turned protégé, turned lover, Sabina Spielrein.

Spielrein is truly the protagonist of the film and her character defines both Jung's character and frames the conflict with his mentor, Sigmund Freud.

Artists have examined human sexuality for centuries and most come to the obvious conclusion that humans are driven by their desires.

But with films like "A Dangerous Method," "Crash," Videodrome" and "Dead Ringers," David Cronenberg takes it a step further.

He argues, rather articulately, that everybody is, at their core, perverse, a sentiment I happen to agree with.

We're not as much motivated by our desires as we are dominated by our perversions.

With "A Dangerous Method," Cronenberg makes his point beautifully and affectionately.

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