I'm regularly drawn to costume dramas with elements that make them feel completely contemporary, so by the time Michael Fassbender's spanking Keira Knightley in her bedroom I was bowled over. Cronenberg fearlessly confronts Carl Jung, Sigmund Freud, and Sabina Spielrein as individuals. Though all helped popularize psychology, it's fascinating to see how they ignore their own professional ethics or hide behind self-diagnosis for the sake of convenience. Only Freud comes off at all well, and his rigidness certainly doesn't make him sympathetic.
It's a compelling narrative and it would be a mistake if Christopher Hampton's script didn't make it into this year's Oscar discussion. Kiera Knightley's explosive, selfless performance is a standout, but I appreciate seeing Viggo Mortensen and Michael Fassbender in such sublimely understated roles.
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