The Sunday Sessions

Truly enjoyed this documentary. A roller coaster of emotions exhibited throughout. For the people that think this film is backing the therapy, they clearly missed the message. This film shows that not only does this type of therapy not work, but it brings out true pain and disconnect to yourself.

I can't really say that I cared for this all that much. It's a documentary about a gay man who was trying so hard not to be one and who spends three years dealing with a conversion therapist. As is well known, conversion therapy for gay men is not well accepted in almost any medical, therapeutic or scientific area. The young man here conflicted by his religious beliefs, and to me that is the primary source of where his pain and confusion comes from, destroys a friendship with the only person I saw in this film to make any sense at all. Most others in this seemed to be suffering due to his homosexuality and it seems to me that the difficulty of acceptance would have been a lot easier on everyone than dealing with his conversion therapy. The fact that the ending did not clearly answer any questions that I had was very annoying as were the therapist's comments about himself who admits that the homosexual part of him will never be completely gone, but he has learned how to have a life with a woman and is encouraging this young man to do the same knowing that that's not exactly where they're real and true desires lie. I don't see how that's fair to a wife. I'm all over the place on this, though I don't doubt the therapist's sincerity, but I have very mixed feelings on what I witnessed and I can't say I found it illuminating in any way and it did not budge my needle on my strong disapproval with this kind of therapy. I feel sort of sad for this young man, but I also question why he would want and/or agree to put this terribly personal major facet of his life on film.

Engaging and well done for such a difficult and controversial topic. I particularly like how the film allows the viewer to form their own opinions regarding the topic by offering little to no narrative. As one viewer wrote, it is a fly on the wall approach. I would have preferred more finality to the conclusion though it does not detract from the essence of the film and the reality of the subject's struggles.

As a well adjusted, normal gay man, I have empathy for people like Nathan who struggle with their identity. While I firmly believe we don't choose who we are, (I personally believe God does) we all get to choose our path in life. Nathan seems to have chosen his, but there are more than enough glimpses of someone in conflict with external forces, I.e., family, religion, and is struggling to love himself and live free. I wish him well on his journey. Interesting documentary. What struck me most is that his friend Cameron seemed to be the most well-adjusted and logical person to appear. Also, having heard horror stories about conversion therapy, the psychological approach seemed very mild and empathetic leaving we to wonder if the version of the film was a sanitized one.

This documentary is a fascinating portrayal of one mans journey through conversion therapy. Even though the documentary was unbiased and informational, I felt pure empathy and compassion for this mans individual struggle. Scenes including him and his friends/family were particularly heart wrenching and intellectually engaging. I will recommend this movie to anyone who wants an inside look into the struggles of conversion therapy and the emotional journey of those involved.