They're starting to put screenplays from 2023 online to read for award consideration and guess what. The script for Freud's Last Session is one of them. I haven't read it myself because I'm not that interested in Freud, but I thought I'd mention it in case anyone on this forum would like to give it a read.

Posted by: @col-klink

 I haven't read it myself because I'm not that interested in Freud, 

For what it's worth, the original play is at least 50/50 split between Lewis and Freud's intellectual viewpoints. Undoubtedly they will be adding some content for the movie adaptation, but I can't see the balance shifting too far in either direction.

Anyway, there is also a new trailer out... 

So... a writer I find interesting did a review of this movie and I'm reluctant to bring it up because it's a negative review and I don't want to bring everybody down. FWIW though I actually don't agree with this writer on a lot of things, particularly movies. There are plenty that he wouldn't recommend that I would and vice versa. That being said, movies like this have an appeal for him they don't have for me, so his review probably speaks for a sizeable chunk of the target audience. He does praise some aspects of the movie, particularly Hopkins's performance, and his criticism is interesting even though, like I said, he's probably wrong.  

‘Freud’s Last Session’ Imagines A Debate With CS Lewis On The Existence Of God (religionunplugged.com)

To be fair, most of his comments seem pretty much in line with most of the mainstream reviews - that the inserted flashback scenes, far from elevating the stage-bound source material into the cinematic realm, simply serves to distract from the main head-to-head debate and disrupts the pace and momentum.

Also, based on the original play, i would also agree that the debate never really goes into a great deal of emotional or intellectual depth - its more of a surface level jaunt through each of their "greatest hits" as he says. Still, i quite enjoyed the repartee of the original play's dialogue, which whilst not quite Aaron Sorkin levels of quippy back-and-forth, was still entertaining and engaging all the same, so i'll probably go and see the movie regardless,.

Posted by: @icarus

To be fair, most of his comments seem pretty much in line with most of the mainstream reviews - that the inserted flashback scenes, far from elevating the stage-bound source material into the cinematic realm, simply serves to distract from the main head-to-head debate and disrupts the pace and momentum.

FWIW, the stuff about the flashbacks in reviews has actually made me respect the movies' marketing more. I thought it was silly how they were making a movie about a philosophical discussion look like a horror movie. But some of the stuff in the flashbacks sounds like it could be considered kind of horror-esque. 

So does the movie mention that Jill Flewett, a teenager who stayed with C. S. Lewis during air raids, much like the four Pevensies did with Prof. Kirke, later married Sigmund Freud's grandson, Clement? I'm kind of assuming they don't mention that since no Narniawebber who has seen the play has. But they totally should have mentioned it.  

So although this movie kind of disappeared into oblivion as far as a theatrical release was concerned (I think once Sony Pictures realised it wasn't going to be a serious contender in the awards season, they decided not to push for wider release) apparently the film has now dropped on Netflix... in the US at least.

https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/news/freuds-last-session-confirms-netflix-streaming-debut-in-the-us/

If anyone in the USA therefore does get a chance to watch it, I'd be intrigued to see what the reviews are like from a more Narnia / CS Lewis fanbase perspective.

I'm probably not expecting anything drastically different from the core set of critics reviews, as most of them are fairly consistent, and overall they are reflective of the reception the source play got as well, but I'm intrigued none the less.

Hey, I wanted to know if anyone else has watched it, yet? I have watched it since I found it on DVD and I wondered what everyone else thought of it. I am not sure what my thoughts are.

Posted by: @col-klink

So does the movie mention that Jill Flewett, a teenager who stayed with C. S. Lewis during air raids, much like the four Pevensies did with Prof. Kirke, later married Sigmund Freud's grandson, Clement? 

Clement Freud!  I enjoyed his participation in a long-running BBC radio game called Just A Minute. He had his own distinctive style for doing well. Ah, nostalgia. (Lewis would probably have found his silliness irritating.)

So I finally got around to watching Freud's Last Session (its on Sky Cinema in the UK) and its hard not to agree with the majority of the critic reviews that its only "ok".

Its very nicely shot, and impeccably acted by both Hopkins and Goode in particular.... I imagine it would have been absolutely exhilarating to see two actors of such calibre go head-to-head on stage in a fearsome intellectual debate in the original theatrical play format.... however some of that impact definitely gets lost in the translation to the cinema screen, and the added flashbacks and cutaways do kind of detract from the momentum of the main confrontation (though its hard to imagine them doing a cinematic version without adding something extra beyond the original one-room setting).

From what i can tell, the final edit of the movie is around 8 minutes shorter than the one which originally premiered on the Festival circuit, and as such the editing does feel somewhat rushed at times (which is odd for a slow-burn movie where nothing really happens) and from what I could tell a few entire flashback scenes that were filmed got cut-out.

All in all though, it was interesting enough, and i'm sure CS Lewis fans will get some kicks out of the various references and easter eggs, but for me it made me wish I could see the stage play instead.... or perhaps just a directors cut of this with just purely the Hopkins and Goode scenes.

@icarus I just wanted to say I'm glad you enjoyed the movie even if you felt it wasn't as great on the whole as the two leads' performances. (I'm not that interested in it myself but, hey, it's made for good Narniaweb discussion.)