The Sessions is the second film released within the past couple of months about a man with medical/ psychological problems, seeking companionship and having to overcome his afflictions to find it. Following on from David O’ Russell’s exceptional Silver Linings Playbook, The Sessions is a candid, bittersweet and surprisingly humorous, true life tale about 38 year old polio suffering journalist Mark O’Brien, who, after years of living a celibate existence due to his disability, decides to finally lose his virginity through a series of liaisons with a sex surrogate.
Although Bradley Cooper’s Pat in Silver Linings Playbook was stricken with a psychological disorder resulting in violent outbursts while The Sessions’ O’Brien is crippled with polio, the films bear similarities in that they are both quirky comedy dramas about troubled individuals looking for love (or sex in The Sessions’ case) and struggling as a result of their conditions.
Based on O’Brien’s article “On Seeing a Sex Surrogate”, The Sessions is an intimate account of the poet/ journalist’s liaisons with surrogate Cheryl (played by and Oscar nominated Helen Hunt) and the relationship that evolves from their encounters. It is a guileless and touching story laced with bittersweet humour, a lot of heart and an array of fascinating supporting characters that compliment the central concept with welcome lightweight peculiarity. John Hawkes, who gained notable attention and an Oscar nomination for his portrayal as a meth dealer in Winter’s Bone, gives a remarkable performance as O’Brien, capturing his wit and underlying sadness with subtlety while revealing a good-natured and humorous man with deep religious beliefs and a humble heart.
Director Ben Lewin uses tightly shot scenes of intimacy between the protagonist and surrogate juxtaposed with a fascinating social milieu of supporting characters that make up the rest of O’Brien’s life and deepen our understanding of him beyond the context of the plot. His relationships with others reveal different insights into O’Brien’s personality that serve as a fitting contrast to the one he has with Cheryl. William H Macy gives an fun supporting turn as O’Brien’s local priest whom O’Brien confronts with feelings of guilt surrounding the sessions, despite Macy (in a conflicted moment) giving him to holy green light to “go for it”.
More than using dialogue as a tool to drive the narrative it unravels different personality layers of O’Brien that enriches The Sessions, making it an enlightening, touching and strangely pleasant viewing experience despite the candid nature of its core. With its main strength lying in the study of blossoming relationships, the film resists unnecessarily tugging at the heart strings. Instead its frank depictions of the sexual encounters are portrayed with stark maturity but are not as uncomfortable to watch on screen as you might imagine (although I still wouldn’t take my nan to see it).
The Sessions is fearless in the sense that it doesn’t shy away from the truth or sugar-coat the plot with sentimentality, which you would imagine a film with a disabled protagonist could easily succumb to. Instead O’Brien’s often biting sense of humour is captured well, along with personality flaws, adding even more depth to a character who comes across as mostly very grounded considering his condition.
The Sessions is both funny and deeply moving with excellent performances that blossom throughout. As the majority of the film is set in single room locations and most of the drama unfolds in the bedroom of the sex surrogate, The Sessions sometimes feels a bit too un-cinematic to justify the big screen treatment. Given the intimacy of the subject matter and drama that unfolds in this location you can’t help but wonder if it will be better viewed in the comfort of your own home and not shared with strangers on the big screen. But despite the context, there is no denying it is an open, bittersweet and very entertaining film, brought to life with a startling performance by John Hawkes that is more than Oscar worthy (it’s shocking he wasn’t even nominated). Seek out. Leave Nan.
The Sessions is released in cinemas on 18th January
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