Hysteria (2011)

Directed by: Tanya Wexler | 100 minutes | comedy, romance | Actors: Maggie Gyllenhaal, Hugh Dancy, Rupert Everett, Felicity Jones, Jonathan Pryce, Gemma Jones, Anna Chancellor, Tobias Menzies, Sheridan Smith, Kate Linder, David Ryall, Dominic Borrelli, Georgie Glen, Jonathan Rhodes, Malcolm Rennie

‘Hysteria’ is ‘based on true events’, but that statement should not be taken too literally. Despite the possibly promising title, ‘Hysteria’ is a romantic comedy that hardly deserves the designation naughty. Even though it’s about the successful invention of the vibrator, the story and the events are extremely well-behaved and you can safely go there with your mother.

The story is set in London around 1880. Young doctor Mortimer Granville (Hugh Dancy) is (again) discharged from a hospital because his modern theories about the evil workings of bacteria are not in line with traditional medical practices. Looking for work, he is offered a job as an assistant to the distinguished doctor Robert Dalrymple (Jonathan Pryce). This is specialized in the treatment of women with the disease ‘hysteria’. As a result of their ‘illness’, these women suffer from feelings of depression, tantrums or are extremely irritable.

Dalrymple’s treatment is as professional as it is simple and effective. Their genitals are massaged by hand (all according to Victorian traditions behind a red plush screen so that only a medically sound functional manual contact takes place). Their pelvic massage should lead to an orgasm that can fight the disease. Mortimer accepts his new position and soon seems to have the right sensitive hands. He gets so busy that the inevitable (and somewhat corny) joke is inevitable that – now that he has to ‘treat’ women all day long – he has to put his overheated hand in a tub of ice cream.

Mortimer’s fame is quickly established, women are queuing for treatment, it is getting busy at the office hours. Edmund St. John-Smythe (Rupert Everett) is a well-to-do friend of Mortimer. He experiments with all kinds of devices. Mortimer has a brilliant idea: a device is being developed that can replace manual stimulation. In form, size and design, this device is still a long way from the aids as we know them today. The medical device still needs to be tested, of course, but a chambermaid/ex-prostitute is willing to undergo treatment for a fee (and it works). Once officially introduced in medical practice, the success is unprecedented, the story spreads like wildfire, women stand in line and can’t believe their luck anymore.

Running through this story is a romantic storyline in which the wealthy and genteel Dr. Dalrymple tries to pair his daughter Emily (Felicity Jones) with Mortimer under the promise that he will also be able to take over his medical practice in the future. He also has another daughter, Charlotte (Maggie Gyllenhaal), who is fighting for her own independence and for women’s rights. She also runs a shelter for the poor. She has a fierce battle with her father and is financially dependent on him. Mortimer gets to know and appreciate her better and better and of course the romantic developments are inevitable.

With the above in mind, it is clear that the story does not have too much depth and that the events are fairly predictable. ‘Hysteria’ doesn’t suffer too much from that, after all it is an accessible romantic comedy that is also about sex, although the jokes are sometimes slightly corny. The decoration of the film is fine, the locations are convincing. No one needs to be bothered by vulgarity or the like. The viewer who wants to have fun will have fun with it. Above all, ‘Hysteria’ remains light, airy and innocent.