Sigmund Freud, C.S. Lewis, and a conversation of the titans

MPAA Rating: PG-13
USCCB Rating: Not rated at the time of this review
Reel Rating: 4 out of 5 reels

In September 1939, Sigmund Freud (Anthony Hopkins) was living out his final days in a modest London country house. Like many elderly intelligentsia, he spent most of his time just shooting the breeze with a variety of artists, politicians, academics, and anyone who tickled his curiosity.

There is a record that, shortly before his death, Freud spent one afternoon entertaining a “young Oxford professor”. In 2002, Armand M. Nicholi Jr, who was clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts General Hospital, published The Question of God: C.S. Lewis and Sigmund Freud Debate God, Love, Sex, and the Meaning of Life. Playwright Mark St. Germain wrote a stage play about the possible conversation between Freud and C.S. Lewis (Michael Goode), and now director Matthew Brown has brilliantly adapted it for the big screen.

Any flaws of the production—and there are a few—are overshadowed by the pure joy of seeing two cultural titans of the 20th century engage in a battle of wits over the soul of the West. It’s just as fun as Godzilla vs. Kong, but with just a little less structural damage to the house.

When Lewis arrives at Freud’s home, his host’s first reaction is to complain. “You’re very late,” the old master says gruffly. Lewis explains that the trains were delayed because they were carrying children to the countryside to escape the blitz. Freud seems unfazed. His purpose for summoning the young teacher was to discuss Lewis’s first book, The Pilgrim’s Regress, an allegorical spin of Bunyan’s famous work that includes a criticism of Freud’s philosophy.

Over the course of several hours, they discuss the existence of God, the human mind, romance, suffering, homosexuality, freedom, the fate of the West, and much, much more. There is also a minor subplot involving Freud’s daughter Anna (Liv Fries) and Sigmund’s dependance on her as his health fades. Eventually, they say their goodbyes and leave without convincing the other, but with both all the wiser for their conversation.

It is unlikely–though not impossible–that this meeting took place. Yet, the clash of their beliefs was quite real and still reverberates today.

Their conversation starts with a basic debate about the existence of God. Freud acknowledges the important role of symbolism, mystery, and community that theism provides, but views it as a crutch for dealing with the world. In his view, science (especially his own psychoanalysis) has replaced this need—and is the truth, anyway. Lewis used to believe this but ultimately found scientific explanations for his observations wanting. He beautifully articulates his argument from desire, which shows the artistic aspirations of man as proof of God, to which Freud merely chuckles and waves away as foolishness.

These competing worldviews–an enchanted cosmos versus reductionistic cosmos–still frame the thoughts and shape the minds of men today. They affect all aspects of life, from sex to family to politics to war to the architecture of modern churches. This debate, despite its visual simplicity, is fascinating. Hopkins is one of the greatest actors of all time, and Goode holds his own against the master. The writing and acting are superb. It’s rare for a single conversation to hold a two-hour-long film, but now two great movies have achieved this feat (the other being My Dinner with Andre).

While the conversation is compelling, it is hard to tell who “won” the debate. Luckily, there is an easier way. Jesus says we can recognize true prophets “by their fruit.” Lewis is calm, collected, kind, generous, and chaste. That’s not to say that he doesn’t have faults, but he is honest about them and “boasts of his weakness.” Freud, on the other hand, is arrogant, disoriented, dismissive, drug addicted, and actively contemplating suicide. His also is aware of his faults but excuses them as a part of the human condition that everyone shares. After all, if behaviors are simply the product of one’s involuntary mind, then one cannot really sin…or do good.

The movie, unfortunately, ends with the filmmakers attempting to vindicate both men in a somewhat dishonest fashion. Freud and his daughter are held up as model scientists who changed the world, despite admitting his suicide and her homosexual affairs. Meanwhile, Lewis is only casually mentioned as a Christian apologist but lauded for financially assisting refugee children during World War II.

A better test would be the personal holiness of the individual and whether these individuals led souls and cultures to truth and Jesus Christ. The answer to this should be obvious.