When Nietzsche Wept

A physician and mentor to Freud, Breuer pioneers the early 'talking cure' while battling his own emotional dissatisfaction. He is pragmatic and compassionate, yet unsettled by the ethical lines between healer and confidant. His sessions with Nietzsche become a crucible that tests his professional duties against personal longing. Over the course of the story, he finds a path to happiness in his marriage and in a new sense of purpose.

A brilliant but despairing philosopher whose migraines and emotional turmoil drive his resistance to medical help. He is proud, impulsive, and capable of deep empathy, especially after witnessing violence against a horse. His bitterness at the limits of power gradually softens as he forms a fragile friendship with Breuer and contemplates his own future in exile.

A Russian-born writer who influences Nietzsche and orchestrates the meeting between Nietzsche and Breuer. Her unconsummated love for Nietzsche and her insistence on addressing his misery reveal her complex blend of longing, intelligence, and agency. She drives the narrative toward healing, even as she negotiates boundaries and power.

A patient whose case of psychological distress becomes a mirror for Breuer's own longing and Freud's developing theories. Known in history as Anna O., she represents the bridge between personal pain and the early methods of psychoanalysis. Her presence catalyzes the confessional dynamic that threads through the film.

A young physician and Breuer's student who imagines a future in which confession can unlock hidden truths. His ideas form the seeds of psychoanalysis as he encourages Nietzsche to reveal inner conflicts. He observes the cross-pollination of therapy with philosophy and begins to chart a new path for treating the mind.

A symbolic presence representing Nietzsche's own philosophical voice, who features most prominently as the works Nietzsche would later write. The story threads these ideas into the narrative arc, culminating in the creation of Thus Spoke Zarathustra.

A figure who represents the everyday environment and social setting in which the doctors and writers operate. Her presence grounds the intense intellectual exchanges in the domestic world.

A character connected to the circle of Salome and Freud, contributing to the film's exploration of female voices within a male-dominated intellectual landscape.