Claysaba Excellent, Without a doubt!!

BallWubba Wow! What a bizarre film! Unfortunately the few funny moments there were were quite overshadowed by it's completely weird and random vibe throughout.

Fleur Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

Caryl It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

leplatypus Personnaly, i'm rather Jungian than Freudian because Jung dazzles me with his collective unconscious, mythical knowledge while Freud links all problems to sex. This enlarged scope versus this limited scope is indeed talked in the movie. So far i didn't know that the two worked together and their meting was really interesting to follow. So it was rather a disappointment to learn that their break-up was due essentially about a woman whom Jungs likes to whip ass! It's not the first time (and surely not the last) when a great mind fails stature and private life reveals a much darker person. Anyway this movie has an incredible fantastic four cast: Fassbender is always this deep inside treacherous man, Mortensen shows his natural authority and his ability with cigars, Cassel, despite his beard, looks very much like his late father and his french appetite is true and for sure, Keira has one of her best part ever: always sweet with past fashion, she shows one more time her determination as well her inner weakness as she punches herself into madness! Cronenberg is inspired with his camera and offers us one of his best movies since a lot of years! NB: Jung's study of UFO was amazing to help me grasp that my love for space is a crutch to support me against my fear of death as the two are similar ... As Captain Kirk says Space (death) is the final frontier ... where no man has gone before.

Boristhemoggy Keira Knightley is awful in this, totally overacting it and almost caricaturing the role in the process. She ought to stick to comedy or something, anything but this. Viggo Mortensen has no air or authority about his role at all. Michael Fassbender is actually asleep throughout the entire movie. Sarah Gadon is a blinding light in the darkness, but sadly unable to light the way through as the darkness is too strong. The dialogue is absolutely painful, with some bits embarrassingly inappropriate. Knightley's character claiming she "got wet" instead of saying she was aroused? The editor wants shot for that remark alone. The breast shots are totally gratuitous as they lend nothing to the story and in fact detract from it. Finally, there are some pretentious conversations between Yung and Freud, but nothing at all that explains either their friendship nor their breaking up. All in all a dire film, no wonder no-one watched it and it made a huge loss.

thesunsmellstooloud This review is pretty hard to write, because there is so much in this film that I enjoyed, and so much that I nearly cringed at. Cronenberg has been a master of taking complex psychological themes and giving them terrifying conclusions, while making powerful statements on modern society. And he has set the bar very high. The marriage of the director and a film on the origins of psychoanalysis could've been a match made in Heaven, but the film tries to deal with too much, without focussing on one single storyline, and not being able to do justice to any one of them.The film starts off with Sabina Spielrein and Carl Jung's first conversations while she was suffering from hysteria, and their relationship develops into a sexual one. While Carl Jung helps her develop her career in psychology, he finds fulfilment in her company. This storyline starts with much potential, but meanders to a halt. The most enjoyable parts of the film were obviously the interactions between Jung and Freud. Michael Fassbender's performance was genuine and passionate. And what can I say about Viggo Mortensen - it felt as if Sigmund Freud himself had time travelled to act in this film. This film captures beautifully how these two men feel an emotional affinity to each other, but have different ideas about psychoanalysis, which makes them constantly size each other up, consequently creating a rift between them. I felt that they deserved more screen time together and their interactions should have occupied the foreground.The Jung-Spielrein storyline suffers from Jung mostly feeling guilty about cheating on his wife, and scenes with his wife in them seem quite unnecessary. I like Keira Knightley in a lot of her films, but she was miscast in this one. Her performance was shockingly bad and restricted me from getting immersed in the film and the characters. Instead, I was fully aware of watching someone act, and act badly. Vincent Cassel as Otto Gross makes a big impact in a small role. He has some controversial views on sexuality and eventually plays the serpent to Jung's Adam. While this film could've been a roller coaster ride of emotional, professional, sexual and psychological conflicts, it stays snuggled comfortably in between.

crct2004 After all the positive reviews, I had high hopes for this movie, but found myself very distracted. I love to be engaged in a story and kept hoping I would be, but I finally gave up, which is rare for me. I expected something far more intelligent and interesting. The acting was fine, but the content was pedestrian, more like a bad TV movie than an actual cinema piece. Seems Keira felt this and worked harder than anyone to make this a decent film, but her effort, while appreciated, was in vane. Worst of all is the horrific green screen, looks like something from the 70's. Very disappointed, this movie could have been so much more.