Freud’s Last Session

What if?…

Two very powerful words, perhaps the MOST powerful when it comes to creating great fiction.  There are endless possibilities in imagining the never-was and never-will-be, and it’s what makes ‘Freud’s Last Session’ such an intriguing idea.

Originating as a book, then a play and now a film, ‘Freud’s Last Session’ envisions the spirited dialogue that emerged when C.S. Lewis, professor, future author, and forthright Christian met Sigmund Freud, founder of psychoanalysis and an outspoken non-believer.  The man of faith sits down with one of history’s most renowned atheists to verbally joust about the existence of God on the eve of World War II.

Now, the meeting never actually happened…if it DID, as the film suggests as a possibility just before the closing credits, whatever discussion took place followed both men to their respective graves.  But….

What if?…

It’s a concept strong enough to carry ‘Freud’s Last Session’, even if this whole thing (given the primarily one scene-setting) probably made for a better stage than screen presentation.  But what’s as phenomenal as the premise is the casting choices for each party; Anthony Hopkins as Sigmund Freud and Matthew Goode as C.S. Lewis.  This is an acting workshop come to life, as the banter between the men, even though they’re so integral to history that it would be easy to deliver as caricatures, never feels fake or forced.  Even when the script slightly falters, Hopkins and Goode simply up their game, making for a cerebral back-and-forth that uncovers as much sweetness as fire, as the two characters balance their attack on each other’s hypocrisy with brief, quiet acknowledgements of the brilliance before them.

So who wins the debate between the two?  C’mon now, you probably know the answer to that.  Oh, and flashbacks are filtered in by director and co-writer Matt Brown, likely for context but maybe just for an excuse for the audience to temporarily leave the room.  Truth be told, they’re not overly necessary.  The heart of ‘Freud’s Last Session’ are two individuals engaged in conversation.  And what a conversation it is.