The Sessions
(USA, 95 min.)
Written and directed by Ben Lewin
Starring: John Hawkes, Helen Hunt, William H. Macy
The Sessions is a bona
fide tearjerker. It's the true story of Mark O’Brien, who was stricken with
Polio at the age of six. Mark has since confined to a bed and he requires the
aid of an iron lung to breathe. He has no mobility, aside from his ability to
turn his head and smile. Mark, played in a triumphant performance by John
Hawkes, has overcome considerable odds and accomplished quite a lot in his
life. The Sessions is a heartwarming
slice of life that deserves its moment in the spotlight.
Mark decides to set a new goal for himself. His challenge is
to cross the ultimate finish line of physical contact. Mark wants to have sex.
This is a considerably difficult task, since it's not as if Mark
can go pick up at a bar. Following some sound advice from his priest (William
H. Macy, a godsend of droll humour), Mark visits a therapist who in turn
suggests that Mark enlist the help of a 'sex surrogate' named Cheryl, played by
Helen Hunt. Cheryl the sex surrogate is hardly a prostitute. Instead, she uses
her body as a tool for therapeutic release.
Cheryl gives Mark six sessions to lose his virginity. She permits
only half a dozen trysts since only hookers thrive on repeat business.
Additionally, an up-front limit deters all the messy emotional attachments that
inevitably come through sex. During their sessions, Cheryl takes Mark through a
surprisingly profound crash course in discovering his own body. From exploring
and understanding the messages his body sends him, right down to appreciate his
own body image, Cheryl provides a service that goes far beyond sex.
The Sessions is
not so much a drama about sex and sexuality as it is a moving lesson on the
importance of being comfortable in one's own skin. Much as Cheryl shows through
Hunt's brave and stripped-down performance, exploring one’s body leads to a search
for the soul.
Writer/director Ben Lewis handles the risqué material rather
well. Although the bedroom scenes are rather graphic – one session features Mark
trying oral sex on Cheryl –all the naughty bits are done rather tastefully. The Sessions celebrates the body in all
its forms, and it takes a notably sober approach to the topic of physical
disability, especially when it comes to sex for the disabled.
Essential to capturing the heart of The Sessions is Hawkes' performance as Mark. After giving strong
work in small roles on HBO’s Deadwood and
in independent films such as Martha Marcy
May Marlene and his Oscar-nominated work in Winter’s Bone, Hawkes shows what kind of greatness occurs when a
character actor finally lands thief leaf role he deserves. In a performance
whose physical range is restricted solely from the neck upwards, Hawkes more
than compensates in the emotional range of his portrayal of Mark O’Brien, as he
will move the audience to both laughter and years through his touching
portrayal of Mark’s plight to experience his body for the first time.
Helen Hunt is equally good as in her gutsy turn as Cheryl.
Hunt makes a comeback in a performance that shows of her character’s security
as well as her vulnerability. Also giving a winning performance in this strong ensemble
(one of many at the festival) is William H. Macy as the local priest who enjoys
Mark's sex stories just a bit too much.
The Sessions is a
genuinely touching crowd-pleaser. It manages to have viewers laughing one
moment and crying the next (sobs were just as audible as giggles during the
screening I attended), and it does so without a single hint of contrived
sentimentality. The Sessions speaks
openly and from the heart. Thanks to a spot-on, profoundly human portrayal from
the cast and crew, Mark’s story of reaching a major milestone is nothing short
of life affirming.
