How do you make a dramatic movie about a guy who's in an iron lung most of the day? Well, they manage to pull it off in the true life story, 'The Sessions'. John Hawkes, known for a couple of psycho roles in 'Winter Bones' and 'Martha Macy May Marlene', magnificently transforms himself into the severely handicapped Mark O'Brien, disabled since childhood with polio and forced to live in an iron lung, except for about four hours per day. O'Brien is not technically paralyzed but his muscles are useless, and he can only move his lips and neck. He gets out of the house on a gurney, pushed by attendants working on day and night shifts.
'The Sessions' manages not to be maudlin or heavy handed due to the remarkable personality of O'Brien. In spite of the crushing limitations of his life, O'Brien manages to be relatively optimistic. He writes poetry and communicates with others, not expressing self-pity, but with a wry sense of humor. His confidante is Father Brendan, a liberal priest, winningly played by William H. Macy. When O'Brien informs Father Brendan that he seeks to lose his virginity by employing a sex surrogate, the good Father notes that having sex outside of marriage is a sin. But given O'Brien's situation, Father Brendan wisely adds that in this case, he believes that God can make an "exception".
The bulk of 'The Sessions' revolves around O'Brien's session with sex surrogate, Cheryl Cohen-Greene (professionally played by Helen Hunt). At first, O'Brien is deathly afraid of the encounters with Cohen-Greene, but she soon gets him to relax and he's able to have intercourse with her. Initially, they agree on eight sessions but cut things off after six, as Cohen-Greene finds that O'Brien is falling in love with her and her emotions are getting in the way too.
There are other characters that drift in and out of O'Brien's life, including Amanda, a volunteer with the disabled, who befriends O'Brien, but eventually has to move away, due to guilt feelings about not wanting to have an intimate relationship with him. One of O'Brien's attendants, Vera, also adds a great deal of texture to O'Brien's moving journey. Eventually, a woman, Susan, becomes O'Brien's partner for the rest of the five years of his life and provides him with meaningful companionship.
One scene that doesn't completely ring true is Cohen-Greene's husband, Josh, becoming jealous over a letter O'Brien sends her. On the plus side, the film is also not without a moment of high drama when there's a power failure and O'Brien is trapped in a non-functioning iron lung without anyone there to help him.
The Session's director, Ben Lewin, a polio survivor himself, lends his expertise on the subject to the production. One critic felt that the film needed to be truer to the real-life O'Brien's writings.
Nonetheless, due to its fine performances, 'The Sessions' appears to rise above standard TV movie fare. It's a touching story about a man whose spirit soared, despite crippling physical limitations.
'The Sessions' manages not to be maudlin or heavy handed due to the remarkable personality of O'Brien. In spite of the crushing limitations of his life, O'Brien manages to be relatively optimistic. He writes poetry and communicates with others, not expressing self-pity, but with a wry sense of humor. His confidante is Father Brendan, a liberal priest, winningly played by William H. Macy. When O'Brien informs Father Brendan that he seeks to lose his virginity by employing a sex surrogate, the good Father notes that having sex outside of marriage is a sin. But given O'Brien's situation, Father Brendan wisely adds that in this case, he believes that God can make an "exception".
The bulk of 'The Sessions' revolves around O'Brien's session with sex surrogate, Cheryl Cohen-Greene (professionally played by Helen Hunt). At first, O'Brien is deathly afraid of the encounters with Cohen-Greene, but she soon gets him to relax and he's able to have intercourse with her. Initially, they agree on eight sessions but cut things off after six, as Cohen-Greene finds that O'Brien is falling in love with her and her emotions are getting in the way too.
There are other characters that drift in and out of O'Brien's life, including Amanda, a volunteer with the disabled, who befriends O'Brien, but eventually has to move away, due to guilt feelings about not wanting to have an intimate relationship with him. One of O'Brien's attendants, Vera, also adds a great deal of texture to O'Brien's moving journey. Eventually, a woman, Susan, becomes O'Brien's partner for the rest of the five years of his life and provides him with meaningful companionship.
One scene that doesn't completely ring true is Cohen-Greene's husband, Josh, becoming jealous over a letter O'Brien sends her. On the plus side, the film is also not without a moment of high drama when there's a power failure and O'Brien is trapped in a non-functioning iron lung without anyone there to help him.
The Session's director, Ben Lewin, a polio survivor himself, lends his expertise on the subject to the production. One critic felt that the film needed to be truer to the real-life O'Brien's writings.
Nonetheless, due to its fine performances, 'The Sessions' appears to rise above standard TV movie fare. It's a touching story about a man whose spirit soared, despite crippling physical limitations.