The Sessions was a moving experience about a disabled man who wishes to lose his virginity with an outstanding performance from John Hawkes as Mark O’Brien. It captivated the audience the whole time, a true story that is sure to linger in your thoughts long after the movie ends.
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Directed by Ben Lewin, the story was inspired by an article from Mark O’Brien about his struggles and triumphs as a man with an Iron Lung and his wish to have sex for the first time. We meet his professional sex surrgotate Cheryl (Helen Hunt) and their journey to ultimately achieving his lifelong wish.
The story isn’t as simple as this, with a mixture of love and religious beliefs intertwined throughout. The priest, Father Brendan (delightfully played by William H Macy) constantly helps Mark decide what is the right thing to do for himself and also by God. There are some lovely moments between them, with the Priest often torn between helping Mark fulfil his dream and what is right by the bible. It is sure to cause some controversy amongst some religious folk, especially as it’s deemed to be a true story from Mark himself.
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The movie itself is so heartfelt, with the story being one that is sure to move you. Hawkes really gets into the character and you feel and relate to his learning curve, his wishes and his strong anxiety and fear. It is arguably an Oscar worthy performance.
Apart from the emotion you feel, the light moments in this movie are some of the best. The humour is great, with Mark playfully poking fun at himself at times but it’s also full of some great moments from co-stars Hunt, Macy and some of his assistants, primarily Vera (Moon Bloodgood).
While it’s a great movie, it won’t please everybody and it was a bit slow at times, with the subplots often being of minimal impact. However, knowing it’s budget was under $1,000,000 really blows your mind as it looked great and is certainily equal to if not better then most bigger budgeted movies. Director Lewin tried to keep the movie as true as possible, which makes the effort even more admirable.
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The Sessions is a moving, heartfelt movie about an issue that is rarely exlpored. It was a bold move to take on such a touchy topic , but it is executed very well and has the ability to move you greatly. It will definitely be a movie that some may call the best of 2012 and one that has stayed in my mind days after I saw it. B+
Hadn’t heard much about this film. Sounds like my cuppa tea. I really like John Hawkes. He stole the show in “Martha Marcy May Marlene” and in “Winter’s Bone”. Nice review.
Thanks Dusty! John Hawkes was fantastic in both those movies you mentioned and he does not disappoint in this. The Sessions has only shown at the Sundance festival in January and now the Melbourne Festival so it’s sure to become more well known in the coming months. Thanks for stopping by.
Gah, I really want to see this… gonna wait until it comes out here to read your review!
I’d never heard of this, and it sounds like a terrific movie. And I’m looking forward to seeing William H. Macy as a priest.
Awesome review! I’m really looking forward to this one, John Hawkes always blows my mind with his great acting and this sounds like a fantastic performance.