Not One Dissonant Note in "The Sessions"

“The Sessions” is the kind of film I love. Not only is it story, dialogue, and performance driven, but it also deals with difficult subject matter in a blunt, honest, and humorous fashion. It never sidesteps anything in it’s approach to telling the story of writer and poet, Mark O’Brien (John Hawkes), a man who, due to polio, is confined to an iron lung with the exception of 3-4 hours during the day in which he is able to be out of his confinement. Mark is a 38 year-old man who deeply wants intimacy with a woman in his life, especially sexual intimacy. He gains some amount of unintended fulfillment from his female nurse, Amanda (Annika Marks), however circumstances create uncomfortable tension between Mark and Amanda so she resigns her job as one of his nurses.

Mark seeks counsel from his priest, Father Brendan, played by the excellent William H. Macy. Mark tells Fr. Brendan that he is interested in seeing a sex surrogate, someone who may be able to assist Mark in finding some way to satisfy his need, a need all human beings have, for sexual intimacy. Fr. Brendan, understandably, is not, at first, comfortable with what Mark tells him, however, it is thought that God may provide special dispensation for somebody in Mark’s condition. Fr. Brendan does not necessarily approve of Mark’s decision, but he does not condone it either. Mark, too, is a bit conflicted by his own decision to see a surrogate, as he was raised Catholic. Helen Hunt, in an outstanding performance, enters the film as Cheryl, a sex surrogate who agrees to see Mark as a client. Her performance in the film is fearless as she shows fantastic courage to appear nude several times in the film. In a film such as “The Sessions,” it is very important to note that the nudity in the film is integral to the story and is not meant for ogling eyes to lust over. Having said that, it would be fallacious of me to not point out that Helen Hunt is quite attractive and I admire her bravery and her performance in the film. Her performance and the performance of John Hawkes as Mark are perfect and the scenes between the two of them are blunt and quite beautiful in as much as they present the honesty of what these sessions entail. Though the film is based on a magazine article written by O’Brien entitled, “On Seeing a Sex Surrogate,” I was reminded of the outstanding 1986 Kirby Dick documentary entitled, “Private Practices: The Story of a Sex Surrogate,” in which the subject of the film, surrogate Maureen Sullivan, is shown through the course of several sessions counseling two men through their difficulties with sexual intimacy. “Private Practices” is also very good as it presents it’s subject matter in an honest and respectful manner. It is on Netflix streaming. Many of the elements I appreciate in a film are present in “The Sessions.” It deals with subject matter which is usually not handled in films. It deals with the subject in a delicate, blunt, and funny way. Mark O’Brien is a sarcastic and self-depricating man, but not overbearingly so. He does not feel sorry for himself. The screenplay does not ask the audience to feel sorry for him outright, however, through Hawkes’ brilliant performance and the intelligent script, I did feel sorry for him and wished him all the happiness that he could possibly gain. I liked Mark O’Brien. It is very important to note that Hawkes’ performance is such that he is able to represent O’Brien in such an endearing way thanks to his flawless performance, original source material, and the film’s screenplay. Daniel Day-Lewis is flawless in “Lincoln,” however, and he will surely win, but it is a shame that Hawkes was NOT EVEN NOMINATED for his performance!!! Hence, my zeal for this year’s Oscars is a bit lessened, though, definitely not erased completely. Helen Hunt is justly nominated in the Supporting Actress category so I will be rooting for her to win. To argue for her to be in the Lead Actress category would be a valid argument indeed, however, it is known that the Academy will put lead actors and actresses in the supporting categories so that they have a shot to win. Go Helen Hunt!

There could have been plenty of opportunities in “The Sessions” for the screenplay to deviate from the crux of the story that it, thankfully, does not choose to pursue. The relationship between Cheryl and her husband (Adam Arkin) is honest and not without tension, however, the screenplay does not allow this relationship to become one of the main points of the film. This would have been a mistake as the film is about Mark and Cheryl, not Cheryl and her husband. It is important to point out her and her husband’s relationship, just not to make their marriage a subject of the film. In the same way, I was relieved to know that Cheryl’s son is not highlighted in the film. Jarrod Bailey’s performance in the film as her son was fine, but, as with the character of the husband, it was pleasant to find that the film did not incorporate any forced or unnecessary drama involving those characters. I think that would have been a mistake and could have been used as a story crutch had the screenplay not been as outstanding as it is. “The Sessions” never loses it’s focus. There are very good performances by the supporting actors, including Moon Bloodgood as Vera, the nurse we get to know the most about in the film, Jennifer Kumiyama, an actress who suffers from arthrogryposis and is wheelchair-bound, as one of Mark’s friends, and Robin Wiegert as Susan, a character of importance near the end of the film. “The Sessions” never loses focus and does not get distracted by distracting, silly subplots, silly characters, or unrealistic scenarios. The performances are outstanding, and the screenplay, again based on Mark O’Brien’s article is blunt, funny, and touching. It is one of those movies that makes you feel great and makes you want to watch more movies in hopes that the other films you watch will be as good as the one you just saw that excited you so. “The Sessions” is not only about Mark O’Brien’s desire for intimacy, but could also be viewed as a film about the desire in most people to have, at the very least, a few times in their life the experience of intimacy with someone with whom he or she has developed a bond. I hope I have heaped enough praise upon this film, sparking anyone kind enough to be reading this to see it when it is released on dvd and blu-ray on February 12.