We come to bury Freud, not to praise him: A film review of Freud's Last Session, directed by Matt Brown, starring Anthony Hopkins, Matthew Goode, and Liv Lisa Fries (2023).
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| Title: | We come to bury Freud, not to praise him: A film review of Freud's Last Session, directed by Matt Brown, starring Anthony Hopkins, Matthew Goode, and Liv Lisa Fries (2023). |
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| Authors: | Willoughby, Roger (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | International Forum of Psychoanalysis. Jun2026, Vol. 35 Issue 2, p185-189. 5p. |
| Subjects: | Historical errors, Freud, Sigmund, 1856-1939, Screenwriters, Psychoanalysis, Filmmaking, Film reviewing, Philosophers, Hopkins, Anthony, 1937-, Self-deception, Psychoanalysts |
| Abstract: | The article critically examines the 2024 film *Freud's Last Session*, which dramatizes a fictionalized meeting between Sigmund Freud and C. S. Lewis shortly before World War II. While the film is based on a 2009 stage play inspired by Armand Nicholi’s book *The Question of God*, it introduces significant historical inaccuracies and distortions, including misrepresentations of Freud’s health, relationships, and the identity of the Oxford academic visitor (who was actually Isaiah Berlin, not Lewis). The film’s portrayal of Freud as petty, homophobic, and controlling contrasts sharply with historical evidence and contributes to reinforcing negative stereotypes about Freud and psychoanalysis. The article warns that such fictionalized depictions, especially when endorsed by reputable institutions, risk misleading audiences and perpetuating misinformation about Freud’s life and work. [Extracted from the article] |
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| Database: | Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection |
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| Abstract: | The article critically examines the 2024 film *Freud's Last Session*, which dramatizes a fictionalized meeting between Sigmund Freud and C. S. Lewis shortly before World War II. While the film is based on a 2009 stage play inspired by Armand Nicholi’s book *The Question of God*, it introduces significant historical inaccuracies and distortions, including misrepresentations of Freud’s health, relationships, and the identity of the Oxford academic visitor (who was actually Isaiah Berlin, not Lewis). The film’s portrayal of Freud as petty, homophobic, and controlling contrasts sharply with historical evidence and contributes to reinforcing negative stereotypes about Freud and psychoanalysis. The article warns that such fictionalized depictions, especially when endorsed by reputable institutions, risk misleading audiences and perpetuating misinformation about Freud’s life and work. [Extracted from the article] |
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| ISSN: | 0803706X |
| DOI: | 10.1080/0803706X.2025.2476414 |
