Advertisement

Movies & TV Movies & TV Reviews

Hysteria

HYSTERIA directed by Tanya Wexler, written by Stephen Dyer and Jonah Lisa Dyer, with Hugh Dancy, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jonathan Pryce, Felicity Jones and Rupert Everett. An eOne Films release. 99 minutes. Opens Friday (May 25). For venues and times, see Movies. Rating: NNN


Despite being loosely based on the invention of the vibrator, Hysteria isn’t very risqué, though it’s pleasurable enough. Hugh Dancy stars as Mortimer Granville, a Victorian-era doctor who cures women’s mental ailments by using his fingers to… umm… provide a deep tissue massage.

He’s the rom-com answer to Michael Fassbender’s Carl Jung in A Dangerous Method both men treat women’s hysteria with orgasms. But when Granville’s clinical hand jobs give him severe cramps, he stumbles upon a mechanical contraption that would eventually become a woman’s best friend.

Though historical accuracy isn’t what director Tanya Wexler is shooting for, her film finds an aloof, playful way to criticize male hypocrisy in Victorian times, when the female orgasm wasn’t medically recognized.

Dancy is an ideal romantic lead, and he has a fine foil in Maggie Gyllenhaal’s Charlotte, who embodies the women’s emancipation movement. The charming pair rise above the pandering, lightweight material.

Advertisement

Exclusive content and events straight to your inbox

Subscribe to our Newsletter

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

By signing up, I agree to receive emails from Now Toronto and to the Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.