MOVIE OF THE WEEK #1 (11/9/12): THE SESSIONS
KEY CAST MEMBERS: John Hawkes, Helen Hunt, William H. Macy, Moon Bloodgood, Annika Marks, Adam Arkin, Blake Lindsley, Ming Lo, Robin Weigert. W. Earl Brown, Jennifer Kumiyama, Rusty Schwimmer and James Martinez
WRITER(S): Ben Lewin (screenplay); Mark O'Brien (original 1990 article "On Seeing a Sex Surrogate" on which the film is based)
WRITER(S): Ben Lewin (screenplay); Mark O'Brien (original 1990 article "On Seeing a Sex Surrogate" on which the film is based)
DIRECTOR: Ben Lewin
THE PLOT: Based on the real-life writings of its central character, The Sessions stars former Academy Award nominee John Hawkes as late poet Mark O'Brien. Essentially paralyzed (his muscles are extremely weak) after contracting polio at age 6, O'Brien has made the most of his life, graduating from the University of California-Berkley and enjoying a successful career. But now, at age 38, he has come to realize there is something missing from his life.
That missing thing? Sex.
After confessing his love unsuccessfully for former assistant Amanda (Annika Marks), Mark eventually finds a new primary caretaker, Vera (Moon Bloodgood) and a new friend in local priest Father Brendan (William H. Macy). His friendship with the latter is what ultimately leads him to decide to find a sex surrogate so he can finally experience what so many people take for granted, especially those who have full use of their body to find sex (and love).
But as sex surrogate Cheryl Cohen Greene (Helen Hunt) helps him by getting him in tune with his body (all of the essential parts function quite well, thank you very much), Mark comes to realize a lot about sex, love and life ...
That missing thing? Sex.
After confessing his love unsuccessfully for former assistant Amanda (Annika Marks), Mark eventually finds a new primary caretaker, Vera (Moon Bloodgood) and a new friend in local priest Father Brendan (William H. Macy). His friendship with the latter is what ultimately leads him to decide to find a sex surrogate so he can finally experience what so many people take for granted, especially those who have full use of their body to find sex (and love).
But as sex surrogate Cheryl Cohen Greene (Helen Hunt) helps him by getting him in tune with his body (all of the essential parts function quite well, thank you very much), Mark comes to realize a lot about sex, love and life ...
His life – as well as the lives of all those who know him – may never be the same again.
THE TAKE: The Sessions is a phenomenal film not not because of anything crazy or unique it attempts to achieve, but rather for the simplicity and heart it takes in telling the story of a very unique individual, his journey and the lives it forever changes as a result.
Hawkes – who prepared his body for the role by working with what he defined as a "torture ball" – does a phenomenal job as O'Brien, bringing his personality, self-deprecating humor, sensitivity and most importantly, keen perspective to life. The Sessions would not be so entertaining without any of the aforementioned elements, all of which take Mark O'Brien the character into a compelling portrait of Mark O'Brien the man. In what seems to be a story about a man trying to lose his virginity, Hawkes – under the watchful eye of writer/director Ben Lewin – transforms it into a story about a man looking for the thing most if not all of us (or at least not the psychopathic murderous ones) are: Connection, humanity and dare I say love that define the human experience while dealing with the idiosyncrasies that make us unique.
Hawkes – who prepared his body for the role by working with what he defined as a "torture ball" – does a phenomenal job as O'Brien, bringing his personality, self-deprecating humor, sensitivity and most importantly, keen perspective to life. The Sessions would not be so entertaining without any of the aforementioned elements, all of which take Mark O'Brien the character into a compelling portrait of Mark O'Brien the man. In what seems to be a story about a man trying to lose his virginity, Hawkes – under the watchful eye of writer/director Ben Lewin – transforms it into a story about a man looking for the thing most if not all of us (or at least not the psychopathic murderous ones) are: Connection, humanity and dare I say love that define the human experience while dealing with the idiosyncrasies that make us unique.
This wouldn't work so well, however, without the contributions of Helen Hunt to the picture. While many people may talk about Hunt being "brave" for being fully nude at nearly 50 years old in a movie (OK, I guess you kinda DO have to give her some credit for that), the real power of her performance comes from inside. (Wow – I wish I had a better way to write that sentence. I really, really do.) Hunt shows not only the line that sex surrogates walk in trying to truly help people with one of if not the most intimate of experiences in life, but also how the desire for touch is not only physical, but mental as well. (Yeah, it gets that deep in just about 90 minutes time.)
While many of us talk about separating our personal lives from our professional lives, Hunt shows the great joy, stress, strain and sadness that can come from working with someone you end up truly caring for. Of course, this wouldn't happen without the aforementioned excellence exhibited by Hawkes, either, but Hunt really does deliver a tour-de-force performance all by simply making us feel what both Greene and O'Brien did physically and emotionally.
One would be remiss, however, not to extend some kudos to Macy as the down-to-earth Father Brendan, a man who serves as Mark's spiritual guide, confidant and most importantly, friend with humor, charm and understanding. Throw in solid performances by Bloodgood and the rest of the cast and The Sessions is a film that shows how love can exist on many levels of life and why we all continue to search for it so.
While many of us talk about separating our personal lives from our professional lives, Hunt shows the great joy, stress, strain and sadness that can come from working with someone you end up truly caring for. Of course, this wouldn't happen without the aforementioned excellence exhibited by Hawkes, either, but Hunt really does deliver a tour-de-force performance all by simply making us feel what both Greene and O'Brien did physically and emotionally.
One would be remiss, however, not to extend some kudos to Macy as the down-to-earth Father Brendan, a man who serves as Mark's spiritual guide, confidant and most importantly, friend with humor, charm and understanding. Throw in solid performances by Bloodgood and the rest of the cast and The Sessions is a film that shows how love can exist on many levels of life and why we all continue to search for it so.
PARTING SHOT: An early Academy Awards contender that actually lives up to and surpasses its hype without going out of its way to do so, The Sessions is a must-see not for its amount of skin shown, but showing us how the human experience is truly skin deep ... Even if said skin is confined to an iron lung for up to 20 hours a day.
RATING (OUT OF FOUR BUCKETS OF POPCORN):
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