''When Nietzsche Wept'' is a 2007 American art drama film directed by Pinchas Perry and starring Armand Assante, Ben Cross and

Katheryn Winnick Katheryn Winnick (born December 17, 1977) is a Canadian actress. She is known for her starring roles in the television series ''Vikings'' (2013–2020), ''Wu Assassins'' (2019), and '' Big Sky'' (2020–present), and her recurring role on the tele ...

. It is based on the novel of the same name by

Irvin D. Yalom Irvin David Yalom (; born June 13, 1931) is an American existential psychiatrist who is emeritus professor of psychiatry at Stanford University, as well as author of both fiction and nonfiction. Early life Yalom was born in Washington, D.C. A ...

. It was filmed in Bulgaria.

Plot

The film opens with the Russian-born novelist—who eventually became a member of Freud's 'Vienna Circle'— Lou Andreas-Salome (

) who had an unconsummated (Platonic) 'love affair' with German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche ( Armand Assante), and to whom he allegedly proposed in 1882 (although whether her claims are true is very much up for debate) writing a letter to Dr Josef Breuer ( Ben Cross), after hearing of his newly developed talking cure (Breuer was a friend of Sigmund Freud ( Jamie Elman), who also appears in the story, and one of the influential fathers of psychoanalysis). The two meet, and a reluctant and troubled Breuer agrees to Salome's plan; to cure the intense

migraine Migraine (, ) is a common neurological disorder characterized by recurrent headaches. Typically, the associated headache affects one side of the head, is pulsating in nature, may be moderate to severe in intensity, and could last from a few hou ...

attacks that plague Nietzsche, and at the same time, without his knowing, cure the despair that her refusal of marriage has inflicted upon him. Salome has persuaded Franz Overbeck (Nietzsche's friend) to send him to Breuer, however, Nietzsche offers no support to Breuer, so the course of treatment must end. In a chilling parallel, an encounter with a mistreated horse causes Nietzsche to redeem his appointment with Breuer (Nietzsche finally went mad after stopping a man from whipping a horse using his own body, before breaking down in tears and descending into insanity). Nietzsche later visits a whorehouse, where he has another attack of migraine, exacerbated by the overuse of a sleeping draught. Nietzsche decides that he will, instead of pursuing treatment, leave for Basel. Meanwhile, an up-and-coming psychologist Sigmund Freud, friend of Josef and his spouse Mathilde Breuer, suggests that if Breuer was to make some confession to Nietzsche, he may stop seeing any positive sentiment shown as being a bid for power, and indulge in confessions of his own. So, the next time they met, Breuer makes the suggestion that, while he treats Nietzsche's body, Nietzsche must "treat" Breuer of the despair that he feels after falling in love with one of his patients,

Bertha Pappenheim Bertha Pappenheim (27 February 1859 – 28 May 1936) was an Austrian-Jewish feminist, a social pioneer, and the founder of the Jewish Women's Association (''). Under the pseudonym Anna O., she was also one of Josef Breuer's best-documented pat ...

(played by

Michal Yannai Michal Yannai (or Yanai, he, מיכל ינאי; born 18 June 1972) is an Israeli actress. Early and personal life Yannai was born and raised in Ramat Gan to a family of Jewish background. In 2003, Yanai married Israeli businessman Ofer Resle ...

), otherwise known as Anna O., a famous case which was discussed in a joint book by Breuer and Freud, later on. The confessions lead to the two becoming open with each other, learning each other's way of life and finally the two becoming friends, but not before the film has explored a great deal of Nietzsche's philosophy and Breuer's psychoanalysis. Breuer's anguish over his supposed unhappiness is explored by means of his highly symbol-laden dreams, thus showing the importance of

interpretation Interpretation may refer to: Culture * Aesthetic interpretation, an explanation of the meaning of a work of art * Allegorical interpretation, an approach that assumes a text should not be interpreted literally * Dramatic Interpretation, an event ...

as a stepping stone in what would constitute Freud's approach to psychoanalytic techniques.

Cast

* Ben Cross as Josef Breuer * Armand Assante as Friedrich Nietzsche * Joanna Pacula as Mathilde Breuer *

* Jamie Elman as Sigmund Freud * Andreas Beckett as Zarathustra *

as Lou Salome * Rachel O'Meara as Frau Becker * Yzhar Charuzi as Hush Man * Ilan Charusi as Carmen Barman * Tal Fructer as Girl by Pianist * Silvia Terzieva as Mrs. Fiefer * Ivaylo Brusovki as Mendel Fiefer * Paula Dominguez as Mia Breuer

Historical accuracy

The film is largely fictional, though many facts and actually occurring events are taken from the characters' real lives and inserted into the film for narrative purposes. The book from which the film was based was an exploration of the hypothetical conjunction of Nietzsche's and Breuer's and Freud's destinies and the development of psychoanalysis, of which Nietzsche's thought played a significant part. Besides the historical characters directly depicted, through the film there are also references to

Paul Rée Paul Ludwig Carl Heinrich Rée (21 November 1849 – 28 October 1901) was a German author, physician, philosopher, and friend of Friedrich Nietzsche. Early life Rée was born in Bartelshagen, Province of Pomerania, Prussia on the noble estat ...

, Franz Overbeck and

Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...

References

External links

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When Nietzsche Wept
' at

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When Nietzsche Wept
' at FilmAffinity {{Nietzsche 2007 films Films with atheism-related themes American independent films American drama films 2007 drama films Films about Friedrich Nietzsche Films based on American novels Films set in the 1880s Films set in Vienna Films shot in Bulgaria Cultural depictions of Sigmund Freud Cultural depictions of Josef Breuer Films about psychiatry Films about philosophy 2000s English-language films 2000s American films