Some people will want to see this film to catch a glimpse of Helen Hunt in all her full frontal glory, and that’s fine, but Ben Lewin’s The Sessions has much more to offer.
Sex is always a popular topic. The proliferation of sex in our post-digital revolution culture gives the impression that sex in all its many guises and flavors is openly discussed and easily accessible to all, online or in person. We’ve even figured out how to make it safe.
Yet somehow, the deluge of images and incessant presence of sex in popular culture only serves to perpetuate the myth that sex is “an activity reserved for gods, goddesses, and rock stars,”* or at least for the reasonably attractive and healthy members of the species. Sex and disability is still taboo, something that cannot be mentioned without inducing a certain amount of anxiety and awkwardness.
The Sessions is a film based on the experiences of poet and journalist Mark O’Brien (1949 – 1999), who remained severely disabled after a bout with polio as a child. Having lost the use of all but three muscles in his body, O’Brien was compelled to spend most of his time in an iron lung. At the age of 36 he made the decision to explore sex for the first time with the aid of a sex surrogate. This experience, which O’Brien described with honesty and eloquence in an essay, formed the basis for Lewin’s film.
John Hawkes (Winter’s Bone) stars as O’Brien, Helen Hunt plays Cheryl Cohen-Greene the sex surrogate, and William H. Macy is the priest who counsels O’Brien in this unusual adventure. If you’re thinking weird and gloomy, think again! O’Brien’s writing reflects intelligence, meticulously honest observation and humor; my expectations for the film are similar. O’Brien published several volumes of poetry, including Breathing, and How I Became a Human Being: A Disabled Man’s Quest for Independence, an autobiography. He was also the subject of the Oscar-winning short documentary Breathing Lessons: The Life and Work of Mark O’Brien directed by Jessica Yu.
The Sessions will be shown at the Tel Aviv Cinematheque in January 2013 at the following times: January 8th at 21:00; January 10th at 18:30; January 12th at 15:30; January 13th at 18:30 and on Saturday January 19th the screening will be preceded by a talk with Dr. Ronit Aloni who will discuss why sexual surrogate therapy has been accepted in Israel, yet is still a contested issue in the U.S.
The Sessions (USA, 95 min, 2012, English)
Tel Aviv Cinematheque, 5 HaArba’a Street, Tel Aviv, 03-6060800.
* On Seeing a Sex Surrogate by Mark O’Brien, published in The Sun, May 1990, Issue 174
