Freud’s Last Session, 2023.
Written and Directed by Matt Brown.
Starring Anthony Hopkins, Matthew Goode, Liv Lisa Fries, Jodi Balfour, Stephen Campbell Moore, Orla Brady, David Shields, Tarek Bishara, George Andrew-Clarke, Gary Buckley, Pádraic Delaney, Rhys Mannion, Anna Amalie Blomeyer, and Cara Christie.
SYNOPSIS:
The movie’s story sees Freud invite iconic author C.S. Lewis to debate the existence of God. And his unique relationship with his daughter, and Lewis’ unconventional relationship with his best friend’s mother.
Everyone loves a great debate, especially between two brilliant minds celebrated in their respective occupation with staunch beliefs. With that said, the appeal to see Sigmund Freud and C.S. Lewis lock verbal horns over science and faith in Freud’s Last Session is there (the title coming from the fact that Sigmund Freud was currently diagnosed with mouth cancer and near death at this point with the world right on the verge of World War II), doubly so considering here Anthony Hopkins and Matthew Goode play them, two performers more than capable of carrying such a lengthy back-and-forth dialogue with weight and force behind their words.
Of course, this is an imaginary conversation originally conceived by playwright Mark St. Germain, now adapted by writer and director Matt Brown, but there’s more than enough information out there to conjure up such a heavyweight bout between these minds. To the film’s credit, the conversations and detours in topics (you just know Sigmund Freud is going to make something about sex somehow) are believable, but because this is all hypothetical and imagined, it almost feels as if both filmmaker and playwright are softening the debate, disinterested in taking it to a scintillating place that might really rile up both men and viewers. Wanting to respect the legacies of both individuals is also understandable, but Freud’s Last Session comes across as light and limp, feeling as if it needs to back both of them as if they are both right. That doesn’t work when the topics at hand are science and religion.
That’s not even the most offputting aspect here, as were some baffling reason, whenever something tantalizing comes up amid all the philosophy mumbo-jumbo, Matt Brown comes under the impression that now is the time to make what was originally a stage play more cinematic by reverting to flashbacks. These sequences cover a variety of topics, such as Sigmund Freud’s Vienna home being invaded by Nazis, a window into the complicated co-dependent relationship with his lesbian daughter Anna (Liv Lisa Fries), and brief glimpses into C.S. Lewis’ friendship with other authors would go on to be world-famous (J.R.R. Tolkien) and his time in the previous war where he lost a squad partner, felt a great deal of guilt when interacting with the mother, but then felt feelings for the young man’s mother, most likely stemming from his own loss and troubled upbringing.
There isn’t anything particularly impressive about the scenes; they are either played overly sentimental or hampered by unimpressive production values (the brief war stretch doesn’t register as intense at all.) None of this is helped by strange color grading or unnecessarily dim lighting in Sigmund’s home when talking to Lewis. The film is often ugly to look at, period and will leave one wanting to listen to these admittedly strong performances rather than watch.
As far as the numerous side plots go, watching Anna struggle with an attachment disorder, placing high pressure on herself to meet her father’s every need at the expense of the healthiness of her relationship with another woman, is compelling. There is some early tension when Sigmund Freud forbids the woman from coming into the home at a time of Nazi invasions and uncertainty where people might not want to be alone. Equally amusing is the cleverness of an air bomb siren warning taking the characters inside a church, where Sigmund Freud eventually comments that the stained glass art resembles cave paintings.
Anthony Hopkins is certainly milking the cranky energy for all it’s worth, whereas Matthew Goode counters that with politeness, mostly thankful for the opportunity to have this conversation. There is passion in the words of both historical figures, but the film doesn’t have much to say beyond both of them possibly making strong points. Freud’s Last Session probably would have functioned better as either a father-daughter drama or the science-religion debate because, as it is, the film is wrestling with too much, consistently destroying its pacing and taking viewers out of anything interesting happening by frequently jumping around past and present.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
