Keira Knightley in 'A Harmful Method' -- Oscar-Worthy or Laughable?

Keira Knightley's bold performance in David Cronenberg's 'A Harmful Method' is splitting experts in the Venice Film Festival, who're finding her role being an uninhibited mental patient "fabulous" or laughable. In either case, individuals who've seen the film agree that her approach is extreme. The film, which stars Viggo Mortensen and Michael Fassbender as, correspondingly, Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung, opened Friday in Venice, and Knightley rapidly grew to become probably the most debated aspect. Variety calls her performance "problematic," stating that her "brave but unskilled depiction of hysteria sometimes leaves itself available to easy laughs." Meanwhile, the Guardian's rater resented the film overall, but authored, "Knightley offers the Oscar bait." Likewise, Britain's Telegraph states Cronenberg "has coaxed a performance from Knightley so ferocious during these early moments it appears prone to get to be the film's primary speaking point. It is also a dangerous strategy, as Sabina's behavior is extreme to the stage to be offending." The Hollywood Reporter's Todd McCarthy concurs that Knightley begins off in a high pitch, but praises her "excellent are a personality having a very lengthy emotional arc" which by film's finish, "the performance modulates into something fully felt and truly impressive." Movieline covers Knightley's hysterics: "It's lots of acting - not good acting - however it sure will get the purpose across" and adds as her character will get better under psychoanalysis, "Knightley will get better scene by scene." Will Canada prove kinder to Knightley? The film hits the Toronto Film Festival in a few days prior to a November 23 U.S. release. Begin to see the trailer here. [via LA Occasions]