A Dangerous Method

Set in the years before the First World War in Zurich and Vienna, A Dangerous Method follows the young psychiatrist Carl Jung as he takes on the treatment of Sabina Spielrein, a Russian woman suffering from hysteria. Jung applies the new psychoanalytic method developed by his mentor, Sigmund Freud, and the professional relationship between the two men deepens even as Jung's involvement with his patient grows into something far more personal and disruptive. The story traces how the bond between Jung and Spielrein complicates his bond with Freud, turning an intellectual collaboration into a rift that reshapes all three lives.

David Cronenberg directed the film, the eighteenth of the twenty-two features listed for him in chronological order, arriving between To Each His Own Cinema and Cosmopolis. Christopher Hampton wrote the screenplay, Jeremy Thomas produced, and the large credited cast of thirty-six and crew of seventy reflect a substantial international production mounted across Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada and Switzerland. Michael Fassbender plays Jung, Viggo Mortensen plays Freud and Keira Knightley plays Spielrein, with Sarah Gadon, Vincent Cassel and André Hennicke in supporting roles.

Made for a budget of 15 million dollars, the film ultimately earned around 30 million worldwide, roughly doubling its cost. On IMDb it holds a 6.4 rating from about 112,000 votes, while on TMDB it stands at 6.3 from roughly 2,300 votes, placing the two audience measures close together.