The Sessions

The Sessions brings to the screen the last years in the life of Marc O'Brien, a polio patient who decides to lose his virginity at age 38. To do that, he gets the approval from his priest, and hires a sex surrogate who will guide him in the ways of love. So far, a little unusual maybe but nothing that would make you go "why should I watch this?". You should for two reasons: the first one is the acting, starting with the criminally underrated performance of John Hawkes, who gives tremendous emotional depth to his character, a man prostrated for the rest of his life who manages to charm everyone around him, including the audience. Everyone else involved give very low-key, realistic and heartfelt performances: Helen Hunt and William H. Macy especially, but also the rest of the supporting cast. The acting is so good that at one point I forgot I was watching a movie and felt like I was listening to real people going through their experiences.

The second reason is the story itself. I did some research on line about the life of the real Marc O'Brien and the film is pretty accurate and consistent with the facts; Marc's life is nothing short of extraordinary, especially if you consider that the film is based on an article of his that he had to type with a pen in his mouth. The people he met, the relationships he formed and how he formed them, all that is part of a very uplifting story which truly happened and is not adorned to make it more Hollywood-esque.

All of the above elements make for a very satisfying movie-going experience which I can't recommend highly enough. Everyone I know who's seen the movie has shared my feelings and it's exactly what I'm trying to convey to you: go see it and you won't regret it.

It's a beautiful and inspiring story. John Hawkes is brilliant in his portrayal of polio-afflicted quadriplegic man, who's quite intellectual and charming. With just his facial expressions and dialogues, Hawkes charms you throughout the movie. Helen Hunt is flawless, as always, and pretty comfortably gets into the shoes of a sex surrogate. William H. Macy and Moon Bloodgood are amazing as the supporting characters; they have some of the best dialogues in the movie.

Mark O'Brien's story is intriguing, inspiring and quite moving. His intention to lose his virginity through a sex surrogate leads him to experience love, both physically and emotionally. Mark O'Brien's story proves that physicality doesn't play such a big role when it comes to affecting and attracting people, in the long run; intellect and charm are greater factors. He affects and attracts the lives of three beautiful women.

The nudity and sex in the movie is not vulgar or erotic; it's more on the emotional and intimate side.

Some of the memorable dialogues from the movie include: 1> "I understand that even among non-believers, the most common expression of sexual ecstasy is 'oh God'". 2> Vera: "Today, they're working on simultaneous orgasm." --- Clerk: "What's that?"

As Betsy Sharkey from Los Angeles Times aptly says, "In a country that embraces cinematic violence with such ease but blushingly prefers to keep sex in the shadows or under the sheets, the grown-up approach of 'The Sessions' is rare."

John Hawkes continues to amaze with his chameleon-like embodiment of unusual characters. This time, he plays Marc O'Brien, a 36 year-old polio victim who has spent his life horizontal in an iron lung. Based on a true story, O'Brien is a poet and a romantic, who has never had a sexual experience. After consulting his priest, ( William H. Macy perfectly embodies the Berkeley radical father), he contacts a therapist and hooks up with a sexual surrogate, Helen Hunt. Their "sessions" form the heart of this tender film, and take both the audience and Marc on a journey of self-awareness and discovery. Hawkes is simply amazing. He imbues the character with innocence, hope and wry humor in what can only be described as a tour de force performance. Hunt is equally skilled in her role, combining professionalism, playfulness, sensuality, and compassion in series of sessions which require full nudity. Both actors are courageous in their pursuit of truth and humanity and achieve Oscar caliber performances, thanks to the sensitive direction of writer/director Ben Lewin.

Being surprised by how good a movie is isn't something I've experienced much in the last several years of my movie-going, but it happened to me with "The Sessions," a small and lovely film about a paraplegic and a sex surrogate who fall a little bit in love with each other.

John Hawkes and Helen Hunt give two of the best performances I saw in movies last year as the disabled man and the sex surrogate he hires. The whole film has a relaxed and natural humanity to it, handling sensitive subject matter with refreshing frankness. It has an aching sweetness to it that's a welcome change from the jaded, cynical and violent stories flooding our news media and our multiplexes. The film is full of characters who see little glimpses of the way in which their lives might have been different had they made different choices. These moments happen to all of us, and they don't necessarily mean we're unhappy with what we have. But when they do happen, it's almost impossible not to be at least a little wistful over the "what ifs." The tone of this film perfectly captures that feeling.

A really, really good movie.

Grade: A

The niche subject matter will not be to everyone's taste but the handling of it by the artful Ben Lewin has been most skillfully and sensitively handled. The casting, particularly Helen Hunt, is ideal and Ben's subtle Jewish humour adds just the right touch to what could so easily have become a difficult story to keep on the move. As the film progressed I became increasingly intrigued by how it might end but it never loses interest and the combination of a tight script, good acting and very sensitive direction keeps the tension right to the end. Although a low budget production, it never feels like it and is vastly more satisfying than the big name run-of-the-mill rubbish Hollywood churns out far too often. This is a rewarding film in its own right and a valuable study into how tough life is for the seriously disabled. It provides a great service to everyone caught in such extreme circumstances and deserves success.