For the German literature and culture lover, this is a great time to go to the movies. Recent international films A Dangerous Method (2011) and Young Goethe in Love (2011) offer those interested in all things German.

A Dangerous Method, now in wide release, is a film about the historical controversial, illicit, and extremely taboo relationship between a young woman, Sabina Spielrein, and her therapist, Carl Jung. Spielrein, played by British actress Keira Knightley (Pride & Prejudice, Atonement), initially comes to Jung (Michael Fassbender of Jane Eyre and Hunger) as a troubled patient, but soon the two engage in a closer relationship. At the same time, Jung’s mentor, Sigmund Freud, played by Viggo Mortensen (Eastern Promises, The Lord of the Rings), takes an interest in Spielrein. A Dangerous Method attempts to answer whether the woman who later turns out to make a significant contribution to the field of psychoanalysis drives a wedge between the two most famous analysts the field has ever known. Directed by David Cronenberg (Crash, Naked Lunch), A Dangerous Method has already received Oscar buzz.

Young Goethe in Love, distributed in limited release, is a German film whose original title was Goethe!. If you have read the great German author Johannn Wolfgang von Goethe’s classic novel The Sorrows of Young Werther (Die Leiden des jungen Werthers) you know about Charlotte, known as Lotte. Lotte finds her way into the Romantic hero Werther’s heart and tortures him with passion and love. Young Goethe in Love, directed by Philipp Stolzl (North Face), explores the relationship between the inspiration for much of Goethe’s poetry, Lotte Buff (Miriam Stein). Goethe (Alexander Fehling) falls madly in love with Lotte, but obstacles come between the two when Goethe’s employer also develops feelings for Lotte. Set against the gorgeous backdrop of Germany’s countryside, Young Goethe in Love is a must-see for everyone interested in Romanticism and German literature.