Joey Magidson
There’s a way to make a two-hander absolutely riveting. You obviously need to start with your cast. Freud’s Last Session has that aspect, with one solid actor going up against an undisputed legend. Next, you need a strong premise. The film has aspects of that, though it’s a bit flimsy. Finally, you need execution. That’s where this movie falls down on the job. There’s a reason why this seemingly obvious awards bait basically skipped the festival circuit. It’s, sadly, not up to snuff.
Freud’s Last Session ostensibly is about two wildly different figures debating the existence of a higher power. Sadly, repeated flashbacks and detours suggest that the powers that be don’t have enough faith, ironically, in the material. So, while there’s hints of a duel like in The Two Popes (a far superior film), it ultimately falls very flat.
On the eve of World War II, Sigmund Freud (Anthony Hopkins), the father of psychoanalysis, is at the end of his life. Freud has invited the noted author C.S. Lewis (Matthew Goode) over for a visit. What does he want? Well, no less than to have a debate over the very existence of God. As they talk, we flash back and forth between what they’re doing in the moment, as well as what got them here in the past.
At the same time, Freud’s unique relationship with his lesbian daughter Anna (Liv Lisa Fries) is explored. Anna is devoted to his care and is putting her own career at risk, seeing everything that the field does as being indebted to him. Of course, WWII is never far from their minds, either, even as the two giants seek to not just prove their points, but perhaps even find some common ground.
Anthony Hopkins is admittedly pretty good here, as he plays the role with ease. He’s not quite sleepwalking through it, since he’s doing strong work, but it’s the kind of part that he can play in his sleep. Matthew Goode is solid, yet unremarkable. They don’t have the necessary chemistry to pull the premise off, like what Hopkins had with Jonathan Pryce in The Two Popes, but they’re hardly doing anything bad. Liv Lisa Fries doesn’t get a ton to do, mostly just distracting from the centerpiece, while supporting players include Jodi Balfour, among others. It’s the Goode and Hopkins show, though in that battle, it’s not really a fair fight.
Filmmaker Matt Brown has unfortunately made Freud’s Last Session a chore to sit through. Co-writing with Mark St. Germain, Brown doesn’t add anything too interesting to the story. The constant flashbacks end up being distracting, as you can never get into a rhythm with the actually Freud and Lewis debate. Brown’s direction is workmanlike, and while the trench warfare shown briefly is well realized, too little here has that same impact.
Freud’s Last Session is, unfortunately, a bore. Whatever appeal watching Anthony Hopkins go to town on a real life figure has, it’s wasted in a film that never is fully sure what it wants to be. By lacking a true focus, it ends up being nothing. Alas. This could have been something, but what it ultimately is, simply, is just forgettable.
SCORE: ★★
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