'The Sessions' Poignant, sweet and extremely heartfelt!
Based on the autobiographical papers of journalist and poet Mark O'Brien, 'The Sessions' is a touching story of one man's physcial and emotional triumph. Finally a movie that tackles sexuality in an adult and touching manner. 'The Sessions' is also a triumph in acting, with Helen Hunt, John Hawkes and William H Macy all giving Oscar worthy performances.
Based on the true story of Mark O'Brien (Hawkes), who as a very young adult, was struck down with polio causing him to lose the use of his muscles from the neck down. With most of his time spent within the confines of an iron lung, Mark is only able to spend two to three hours free of his prison and only such with the help of an aid. Overcoming his disability, Mark graduates from Berkley and becomes a journalist/poet. While his body was practically useless, Mark's mind bristled with intelligence and creativity; his only issue, he perceives, is that he is still a virgin. He contacts a sexual surrogate (Hunt) with the support of his priest friend (Macy in excellent and rare form here) in the hopes of becoming a man before his time runs out.
John Hawkes is simply fantastic as O'Brien, his acting is largely played through the expressions on his face and the inflections of his voice. The dialogue is witty and the nervous banter that comes from John is real and packed with emotion. Helen Hunt gives a stunning and very brave performance as the sexual surrogate Cheryl, the emotion she feels for O'Brien while still trying to be a happily married woman is both conflicting and touching at the same time. And while she appears fully nude several times in the film, it is never done in a smutty manner nor does it feel dirty or leering in any way. There is a vulnerability to her during these moments and it is not just nudity, but pure human emotion.
Mark's quest for love is one we can all relate to, however in his particular case, this quest is made 10 times more difficult and because of that we are drawn into the story. In what could have been a snickering joke of a movie is instead a touching and uplifting story where we are rooting for this very brave man. Written and directed by Bill Lewin, the pacing is nearly flawless and the script is perfect. While only in limited release, this is a film that deserves to be seen by all and most surely will get a few Oscar nods.
'The Sessions' is a triumph of the human spirit and our ability to love; it is a heartfelt look at human sexuality, told in a very adult and mature manner. This 4 star wonder is well worth the trip downtown!