The Sessions (DVD REVIEW)
The Sessions
DVD
Review by Kam Williams
Disability
Drama Chronicles Indomitability of the Human Spirit
Mark O’Brien (John Hawkes) was left
paralyzed from the neck down by the polio he’d contracted as a child.
Consequently, he can only breathe with the assistance of an iron lung, although
he can use a portable respirator for a few hours at a time.
Nonetheless, the condition has never
stopped him from fantasizing, especially about his attractive attendants like
Amanda (Annika Marks) who quit when he expressed his desire for her. The
sexually-frustrated, 38 year-old decides that the only way he’ll probably ever
lose his virginity is by paying a woman to sleep with him.
However, this proves easier said
than done, between the physical challenges presented by quadriplegia and his
having to wrestle with a major moral issue as a devout Catholic. Since his
religion forbids fornication outside the sanctity of marriage, Mark consults
his parish priest for special dispensation.
Armed with the
surprisingly-sympathetic Father Brendan’s (William H. Macy) blessing, Mark
retains the services of Cheryl (Helen Hunt), a professional sex surrogate with
the bedside demeanor, or should I say bedroom demeanor, of a saint. Over the
course of a half-dozen, romantic rendezvous, the sensitive therapist gradually
helps her patient conquer problems with performance anxiety and premature
ejaculation.
En route to consummation, the pair
simultaneously forge a friendship in spite her fears that he might develop an
attachment to her. After all, she is married. But Mark emerges from the
experience, a changed man, as he develops the confidence to flirt with other
women and he even ultimately finds a wife (Robin Weigert).
The Sessions’ subject-matter might
strike some as salacious, given the film’s frequent, full-frontal nudity. But
the picture actually plays out more as a compassionate tale exploring a variety
of themes, including faith, friendship, relationships and the indomitability of
the human spirit.
Written
and directed by Ben Lewin, himself a polio victim, the movie is based on Mark O’Brien’s (1950-1999) life
story as chronicled in his autobiography “How I Became a Human Being: A
Disabled Man’s Quest for Independence.” The late author was already the subject
of Breathing Lessons, a biopic which won an Academy Award in 1997 in the Best
Documentary category.
Rather than resort to manipulative
sentimentality, the production resists the temptation to follow a Hollywood formula in favor of a realistic plot that Mark
undoubtedly would have appreciated. As a journalist and longtime civil rights
advocate, he never looked for pity but rather lobbied for legislation and
equality on behalf of the handicapped.
Co-stars John Hawkes and Helen Hunt
generate an endearing chemistry, here, turning in a couple of virtuoso
performances in service of a poignant drama depicting the disabled as
complicated individuals with a full range of human emotions.
Excellent
(4 stars)
Rated R for graphic sexuality, frontal nudity and frank dialogue
Running time: 95
minutes
Distributor: 20th
Century Fox Home Entertainment
DVD Extras: John
Hawkes Becomes Mark O’Brien; Helen Hunt as the Sex Surrogate; and The Women Who
Loved Mark O’Brien.
To see a trailer for The Sessions, visit:
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