15.1.24

MOVIES AT LA PLAZA: FREUD’S LAST SESSION-- God in the dock

Movie Review by Sergio Martinez

The film, directed by Matthew Brown, opens with the episode of the abrupt arrival of Gestapo agents at Sigmund Freud's (Anthony Hopkins) home in Vienna, an event that would lead to his exile in London, where he would die shortly thereafter. Freud had always felt a great appreciation for Vienna, so his forced departure had contributed to the deterioration of his health. It had probably also exacerbated his critical sense and the angry tone of his words. At that point in his life, he was also struggling with advanced cancer of the jaw.

C.S. Lewis (Matthew Goode) and
Sigmund Freud (Anthony Hopkins) on the questions of God,
the afterlife, science and faith
There is no record that this meeting between the father of psychoanalysis and the writer C.S. Lewis (Matthew Goode) ever took place, but that is no obstacle to the development of the film's plot. What is important is that both characters embody opposing positions on the central theme of the session: the existence of God.

Freud, a Jew who has adopted atheism as his conception of life, is thus involved in a dialogue with Lewis, who has moved from atheism to a very deep adherence to Christianity. Issues such as mortality, the role of God in the world and the presence of evil are addressed in a rather passionate way by Freud, while his interlocutor maintains a more relaxed tone, though no less firm in defending his position.

Freud and the death of his
granddaughter: "What kind of God would 
allow such a thing?"
As concrete illustrations of these themes, at one point the dialogue is interrupted and Freud and his visitor must rush to a subway shelter in the face of an air raid warning over London. When the conversation is resumed, other events unfold in the background affecting Freud in some way. His daughter Anna (Liv Lisa Fries) must confront her own compulsive devotion to her father, which even interferes somewhat with her work and her lesbian relationship with Dorothy Tiffany Burlingham (Jody Balfour).

Undoubtedly one of the strongest moments in the confrontation with Lewis over God occurs when Freud brings up the death of his little granddaughter, only five years old. "What kind of God would allow such a thing?"

C.S. Lewis had moved from
atheism to deep religious views
Freud, who perceives that he will soon die, also addresses the issue of what happens after that moment with particular vehemence: certainly for him that is the end of everything. Lewis, for his part, will also have his rejoinder on the subject, although it will sound less strong than Freud's sharp critical vision. Science, faith, love and the human condition clash or complement each other, depending on the point of view of each of the interlocutors, in a way that leaves the audience pondering their own judgments on the subject.

With scenes mostly set indoors, the film emphasizes its intimate character and the more theatrical than cinematic atmosphere. It does, however, allow us to appreciate the solid performances of the great master Hopkins, and Goode, both of whom bring out the contradictory sides of the characters.

Freud's Last Session is a film that will surely delight those who are interested in these philosophical issues of human existence and the psychological and religious aspects that this discussion also involves.

Running time: 118 min.

CINE EN LA PLAZA: FREUD’S LAST SESSION (LA ÚLTIMA SESIÓN DE FREUD)—Dios en el banquillo

Comentario de Sergio Martínez

La película, dirigida por Matthew Brown, se inicia con el episodio de la irrupción de agentes de la Gestapo en la casa de Sigmund Freud (Anthony Hopkins) en Viena, suceso que llevaría a su exilio en Londres, donde moriría poco tiempo después. Freud siempre había sentido un gran aprecio por Viena, por esto, su forzada salida habría contribuido al empeoramiento de su salud. Probablemente había exacerbado también su sentido crítico y el tono iracundo de sus intervenciones. A esa altura de su vida, él también estaba bregando con el avanzado cáncer a su mandíbula.

No hay registro alguno que ese encuentro entre el padre del psicoanálisis y el escritor C.S. Lewis (Matthew Goode) haya tenido lugar, pero eso no es obstáculo para el desarrollo de la trama del film. Lo importante es que ambos personajes encarnan posiciones encontradas respecto del tema central de la sesión: la existencia de Dios.

C.S. Lewis (Matthew Goode) y Sigmund Freud
(Anthony Hopkins) debaten  acaloradamente
sobre la existencia de Dios


Freud, un judío que ha adoptado el ateísmo como su concepción de vida, se ve envuelto así en un diálogo con Lewis, que ha hecho un camino desde el ateísmo a una adhesión muy profunda al cristianismo. Cuestiones como la mortalidad, el rol de Dios en el mundo y la presencia del mal son abordadas de un modo bastante apasionado por parte de Freud, mientras su interlocutor mantiene un tono más relajado, aunque no menos vehemente en la defensa de su posición.

Como ilustraciones concretas de estos temas, en un momento el diálogo es interrumpido y Freud y su visitante deben acudir rápidamente a un refugio subterráneo ante la alarma de un ataque aéreo sobre Londres. Reanudada la conversación, en el trasfondo transcurren otros eventos que de algún modo afectan a Freud. Su hija Anna (Liv Lisa Fries) debe confrontar su propia compulsiva dedicación a su padre, la que incluso interfiere de algún modo con su trabajo y con la relación lesbiana que mantiene con Dorothy Tiffany Burlingham (Jody Balfour).

Freud sobre la muerte de su nieta: 
“¿Qué clase de Dios permitiría tal cosa?”

Sin duda uno de los momentos más fuertes de la confrontación con Lewis  a propósito de Dios ocurre cuando Freud saca a colación la muerte de su pequeña  nieta, sólo de cinco años. “¿Qué clase de Dios permitiría tal cosa?”

Freud, que percibe que pronto morirá aborda también el tema de qué ocurre después de ese momento con especial vehemencia: ciertamente para él eso es el fin de todo. Lewis, por su parte, tendrá también su réplica sobre el tema, aunque sonará menos fuerte que la aguda visión crítica de Freud. La ciencia, la fe, el amor y la condición humana se enfrentan o complementan, según el punto de vista de cada cual de los interlocutores, de un modo elocuente y que deja a la audiencia ponderando sus propios juicios sobre el tema.

C.S. Lewis habia hecho el camino desde
el ateismo al cristianismo

Con escenas mayoritariamente en interiores, el film subraya su carácter intimista y el ambiente más teatral que cinematográfico. Eso sí, ello permite apreciar las sólidas actuaciones de ese gran maestro que es
Hopkins y de Goode, ambos resaltando las contradictorias aristas de los personajes.

La última sesión de Freud es un film que seguramente encantará a quienes les interese estos temas filosóficos de la existencia humana y los aspectos psicológicos y religiosos que también envuelve esta discusión.

Duración: 118 min.

26.12.23

MOVIES AT LA PLAZA—Anselm: An artist difficult to categorize

Film Review by Sergio Martinez

Anselm-Le bruit du temps (Anselm-The Sound of Time), Wim Wenders' recent film released in Montreal, is a documentary about Anselm Kiefer, a German artist who is somewhat difficult to categorize. At the beginning of the film, we see him engaged in burning the surface of panels to present an image that defies definition. Is it a commentary on the destruction that dominated the post-war German landscape, the period in which the filmmaker and the artist who is the subject of the documentary grew up? It can be said that these postwar images greatly shape Anselm's work. We see that both his paintings and his female sculptures seem to be deliberately missing parts, such as the half-ruined buildings in the devastated post-war German cities.

The opening scene 

If cataloguing Anselm Kiefer's art is difficult, Wender admits that so is a film about the artist. "Have we really made a documentary?" he asks. He then alludes to other projects such as Pina or Buenavista Social Club, films in which the same question could also be asked. Later in his presentation of the film, Wender tries to elucidate this doubt, after affirming that it is indeed a documentary because of the elements and the form that the film has, he adds: "Yes, that is what is done in a documentary. But we also invent scenes from Anselm's childhood and immerse ourselves in his story. In doing so, we blur the boundaries between past and present. We took this freedom because, in the face of art, you have to assert your own freedom, otherwise, you don't participate in the transcendence before us."

In his workshop


For those who have not had much background on Anselm Kiefer's work, Wender's documentary will introduce them to his world in multiple ways and messages. In this sense, the German filmmaker performs a rescue task, as he did before with the old Cuban performers of Buenavista Social Club, bringing his art to a more massive audience.

As for the references to Anselm's childhood and the images of war-torn Germany, they provide a very effective element to place the viewer in the context of the artist's work.  At one point Kiefer says, "Childhood is an empty space, like the beginning of the world."  In these forays into the past, Wender's intention seems to be to engage in a shared investigation between the artist and the viewers who are discovering his work.

Strange sculptures

This is a documentary film that, pleasantly, provides a quite deep vision of Anselm Kiefer's art. Recommended especially for those interested in modern art.



Running time: 93 min.