Movie · 2012 · Drama, Romance, Comedy · 1h 35m · R · English
Curator score: 6.3/10 (59K ratings)
The festival hit of the year!
Overview
Though a childhood bout with polio left him dependent on an iron lung, Mark O'Brien maintains a career as a journalist and poet. A writing assignment dealing with sex and the disabled piques Mark's curiosity, and he decides to investigate the possibility of experiencing sex himself. When his overtures toward a caregiver scare her away, he books an appointment with sex surrogate Cheryl Cohen-Greene to lose his virginity.
Ratings
Curator score: 6.3/10
IMDb: 7.2/10
Letterboxd: 3.55/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 91%
Metacritic: 79
TMDB: 6.9/10
Director
Ben Lewin
Production
Such Much Films, Rhino Films
Cast
John Hawkes, Helen Hunt, William H. Macy, Moon Bloodgood, Annika Marks, Adam Arkin, Rhea Perlman, W. Earl Brown, Robin Weigert, Blake Lindsley, Ming Lo, Rusty Schwimmer, Jennifer Kumiyama, Tobias Forrest, Jarrod Bailey, James Martinez, Paul MacLean, Phoebe Lewin, Jonathan Hanrahan, Jason Jack Edwards
Curator Review
Verdict
A warm, unusually candid drama that treats disability, desire, faith, and intimacy with humor and restraint. It’s moving without becoming sentimental, and the performances give it real emotional credibility.
Best for
Viewers interested in intimate character studies
People looking for a mature, non-exploitative story about sex and disability
Fans of understated indie dramas with strong performances
Audiences who appreciate a balance of awkward comedy and heartfelt emotion
Skip if
You want a broad sex comedy
You prefer fast-paced plots or high drama
You’re uncomfortable with frank discussions of sexuality
You want a film that stays strictly conventional in tone
Overview
The Sessions is one of those rare films that turns a potentially sensational premise into something humane and disarming. It finds humor in awkwardness, but never at the expense of its characters, and it’s especially strong in the way it frames desire as a basic human need rather than a punchline or a tragedy.
Worth noting
John Hawkes gives the film its quiet center, and Helen Hunt brings a mix of firmness, warmth, and vulnerability that keeps the story grounded. The movie is at its best when it lets conversations breathe and trusts small emotional shifts instead of big speeches.
Bottom line
It can feel a little tidy in places, but the restraint is part of its appeal. This is a thoughtful, compassionate film about embodiment, loneliness, faith, and the messy business of connection, told with more grace than most films manage on the subject.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Simone (4★) · 93 likes
The trailers for The Sessions make you believe that this is going to be a laugh-out-loud comedy about awkward sex. This film is less a comedy and more a sweet and touching biopic about one of the most interesting figures I've ever seen a film about. Mark O'Brian is a soulful poet, full of romantic notions about the world. He chooses to see the best in people and life. He's endlessly optimistic , deeply religious, but he's also perceptive and… more The trailers for The Sessions make you believe that this is going to be a laugh-out-loud comedy about awkward sex. This film is less a comedy and more a sweet and touching biopic about one of the most interesting figures I've ever seen a film about. Mark O'Brian is a soulful poet, full of romantic notions about the world. He chooses to see the best in people and life. He's endlessly optimistic , deeply religious, but he's also perceptive and… more
theironcupcake (4★) · 61 likes
"I believe in a God with a sense of humor. I would find it absolutely intolerable not to be able to blame someone for all this."
Women Film Editors #97: Lisa Bromwell
I still have my ticket stub from seeing The Sessions at BAM, Mon. 11/19/2012, 4:30 pm. There was only other person in the audience, a middle-aged woman who came into the theater with several noisy bags and sat close to the screen, while I was in the room's… more
The Ron (4★) · 52 likes
As I started watching The Sessions, I realized I didn't even know what it was about. I'd heard of it because it's received some awards attention and I knew it was supposed to be good, but I didn't know anything at all about the plot.
As the story unfolded I kept thinking to myself, man this is a really different and interesting subject matter. I don't wanna go to much into the plot so I'll just say John Hawkes is… more
Amy Hensarling (3★) · 42 likes
I scream The body electric, This yellow, metal, pulsing cylinder Whooshing all day, all night In its repetitive dumb mechanical rhythm. Rudely, it inserts itself in the map of my body, Which my midnight mind, Dream-drenched cartographer of terra incognita, Draws upon the dark parchment of sleep. —Mark O’Brien
“You know, I always say that clients that I work with are not sick and broken people; they’re like every one of us. And what they need is somebody to sort… more
Kurdt (2★) · 37 likes
The storylines in pornos are becoming very elaborate.
1995 · Drama, Romance · 1h 41m · R · Curator 9.4/10 (1.9M ratings) · In theaters
For viewers who enjoy conversation-driven intimacy and the slow discovery of connection between strangers.
Topics
indie drama, romantic dramedy, biographical, disabled protagonist, sexual awakening, intimate relationships, faith and doubt, quiet humor, character study, mature tone