Two Movies About Sexual Liberation, Kind Of, In The Late 19th And Early 20th Centuries.

Hysteria (2011)

Maggie Gyllenhaal seems to be rather ahead of the mindsets surrounding her as a figure who wants to help women to be educated. We clearly see that her independence of thought is viewed as a potential sign of hysteria. ('Hysteria' being the origin of our current term 'hysterical' which is often used misogynistically.)



The historical condition of "Hysteria", prevalent in the Victorian era, is a bizarre condition. Women in the 19th Century would act in rather strange ways (or at least the sources describe them doing so), they'd be sent away for treatment and, perhaps most bizarrely of all, speak in very positive and sensible tones about how the treatment had helped them.

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A Dangerous Method (2011)

When I first heard that David Cronenberg was making a movie about Freud's psychoanalysis I must admit I groaned at the prospect. While I absolutely love Cronenberg's 'body horror' work, making the horror elements feel visceral and physical even when dealing with clearly supernatural and ethereal topics like psychics. But in the background of all his work there's always been a clear indication of the influence of psychoanalysis on Cronenberg's work. Thankfully in most films I can pretty much ignore that element for the most part, but here that would not be possible. And what's more, a biopic? Seriously? That's not what I want from Cronenberg...


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