I love it when a movie takes me by surprise. I read a couple reviews and had really high expectations for The Sessions. I was mostly looking forward to a display of acting prowess because this movie stars Helen Hunt who won an Academy Award and John Hawkes who was nominated for an Academy Award last year. I was so looking forward to watching them act, that I forgot I was paying ten of my very hard earned dollars to watch a story unfold.
Plot Summary found on imdb.com
A man in an iron lung who wishes to lose his virginity contacts a professional sex surrogate with the help of his therapist and priest.
A man in an iron lung who wishes to lose his virginity contacts a professional sex surrogate with the help of his therapist and priest.
Cast List:
Rhea Perlman – Cheers
The plot summary sounds a bit crude, and I should warn you there is quite a bit of nudity in this movie, but the story is so much more than that of a man trying to lose his virginity. This is a true story of Mark O’Brian, who contracted polio when he was 6 years old and was confined to an iron lung. He can only use the muscles of his body from the neck up. He requires around the clock care and because of this blames himself for ruining his parents’ quality of life, for his sister’s death and for being a burden to those around him. His connection with the sex surrogate was definitely about exploring the act, but it resulted in much more than him handing in his V card and joining the ranks of men. This experience for Mark asks the audience to contemplate the question; is there someone out there for everyone?
It has to be pretty clear by now that watching a movie is a powerful experience for me. I connect emotionally with each movie I watch. I focus solely on what I’m watching and I zone out the rest of the world. It’s just me and the characters and the story. John Hawkes’ portrayal of Mark O’Brian was so real and so engaging that I felt very deeply for him. I wanted to give him a hug, I wanted so badly for him to realize that he deserved love and affection. My heart broke for him.
If you think you’re capable of seeing the purpose of the nudity and the sex in this movie then definitely try to see this. It isn’t going to be playing in all theaters so you may need to search for it, but I really think this movie is human and honest and worth watching.
Below is an interview with Ben Lewin , the writer and director of The Sessions. He touches on the processes that he and the cast went through in order to achieve the natural and honest struggel that Mark went through as he started this journey. It sheds a lot of light on the depth of this movie.
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