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When Nietzsche Wept

When Nietzsche Wept is an independent film released in 2007, starring Armand Assante, Ben Cross and Katheryn Winnick. The movie is based on a book of the same name by Irvin D. Yalom and was directed by Pinchas Perry.

The film opens with the Russian-born Lou Salome (Katheryn Winnick), who had a brief love affair with 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 attacks that plague Nietzsche, and at the same time, without him knowing, cure the despair that her refusal of marriage has inflicted upon him. (from wikipedia.org)

Based on the novel by Irvin Yalom, When Nietzsche Wept tells the story of obsession, a drama of love, fate and will that formed the basis of modern psychoanalysis. Friedrich Nietzsche, Sigmund Freud, Dr. Josef Breuer, Louise (Lou) von Salome and Anna O - these compelling characters cross paths when Breuer and Freud agree to treat Nietzsche; a sick, poor and unknown philosopher.