The Sessions
★★★
(2012)
Ben Lewins film is something of a unique sexual discovery. It's a tender look at something which infatuates and consumes many young men and women in film and is the focus of thousands of coming of age stories in modern cinema. Inventive films and terrible films alike, in the shape of high school comedies mainly, take long hard looks at the struggle of the intelligent shy guy or more accurately his struggle to get laid. Lewins film is certainly that but his shy poet and writer Mark O'Brien (John Hawkes) has a bigger challenge to over come than his social awkwardness and lack of confidence at frat parties.
Marks muscles have been irreparably destroyed after a bout of childhood polio. His life is lived mainly inside and iron lung which aids his breathing and a small army of helpers come and go, they are obviously taken by this quiet man's straight up charm and he easily falls for the pretty ones. Mark is a christian man who sparks up an odd friendship with his priest (William H. Macy) declaring his intention to lose his virginity with the help of sex surrogate Cheryl (Helen Hunt). The priests embarrassed fascination with Mark and his odyssey provide most of the films real sparkling moments, drawing an interesting parable between two different celibate adults but as Mark's sessions begin the sense of charm gives way to a film which heads dangerously into TV movie territory.
Hawkes performance is certainly the thing which makes The Sessions worth watching. Even from his voice over, he embodies the character of a man whose struggle is felt everywhere, so much so that even talking sounds like it is quite a difficult task, his voice is braying, sensitive and weak all at once. A discomforting restriction for any actor, Hawkes nails it, unveiling an honest, funny and empathetic individual. Hunt is less of a revelation here; A talented actress no doubt but her short-range and cold demeanour lets her down here. So much so that it's often hard to see exactly why Mark would fall for Cheryl as he is so obviously going to do.
Hunt and Hawkes bare and frequent bedroom scenes are often unevenly handled. Lewin feels unsure about the tone his film needs to walk the line between a sensitive drama and a heartfelt comedy. It definitely looks at sex between two people in a way often left unseen in cinema and for that it must be given its praise but one can't help think that Cheryl's clinical approach and personality is misused here when the aim is to try to help us see a blooming relationship. Based on the real Mark O'Brien article written in the late eighties The Sessions is a well acted, often funny and inspiring story but as a romance it's undoubtably missing some much-needed warmth until much too late.
