Freud's Last Session

Even though this film centers around the meeting of two world renown men, Sigmund Freud and C.S. Lewis, "Freud's Last Session is actually based on a play of the same name. It has been reported that, before Freud passed away, there was a young that visited him before his death, with the assumption that it was C.S. Lewis. 

Set on the eve of WWII in 1939, and towards the end of his life, "Freud's Last Session" sees Sigmund Freud (Anthony Hopkins) invite iconic author C.S. Lewis (Matthew Goode) for a debate over the existence of God. Exploring Freud's unique relationship with his lesbian daughter Anna (Liv Lisa Fries) and Lewis' unconventional romance with his best friend's mother, the film inrerweaves past, present and fantasy, bursting from the confines of Freud's study on a dynamic journey.

Others to round out the cast are Jodi Balfour as Dorothy Burlington, Jeremy Northam as Ernest Jones, Orla Brady as Janie Moore, George Andrew-Clarke as Paddy Moore, Rhys Mannion as C.S. Lewis (age 19), Padraic Delaney as Warren Lewis, Stephen Campbell Moore as J.R.R. Tolkien and Peter Warnock as Dr. Schur. 

This was directed with seriousness and sober-mindedness by Matthew Brown ("Ropewalk" 2000, "The Man Who Knew Infinity" '15). Even though this filmmaker has limited experience behind the camera, his ability to show us the respectful, but strained relationship between these two iconic men was amazing. It would have been easy to show these two at disrespectful odds with each other, but Wood, being a pro, was able to encourage his actors to harness their emotions which made for a much more compelling story. It was effectively written by Mark St. Germain ("Duma" '05, "The God Committee" (based on the play) '21) plus TV and Matthew Brown ("Ropewalk" 2000, "The Man Who Knew Infinity" '15, "London Town" '16) plus TV, based on the play by Mark St. Germain, which is suggested by "The Question of God" by Dr. Armand M. Nicholi Jr. The dialogue between these two was delineated well by these two writers in that the banter was injected at moments that were pivotal. The only flaw in this screenplay is that when each of them were thinking back on their past life experiences, the transition back to the present wasn't as fluid as it could've been, otherwise this script was spot on. And, of course, the performances by both Hopkins and Goode were consummate-seriously doing their homework in conveying and convincing the audience of the validity of the character of these men. 

If you are a history buff, even though this wasn't necessarily based on a true story, it is about two influential people of the 20th century, then this film will be to your liking. If your not into the story necessarily, the acting and directing will carry you from the first frame to the last. 

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                       Rated: PG-13                                     108mins.