Review of The Sessions (2012) by Maksim B — 04 Jun 2013

Unorthodox and with intelligent humor, The Sessions is a touching and human story of physical and emotional love. Bit more sugary than necessary for the type of provocative dramedy it is, this movie blends captivating premises, wonderful acting and childlike naivety and honesty. Filled with flaws , it never attempts to hide them and yet it pleases even the more pretentious viewers who had had extremely high expectations.

The Sessions benefits from an extremely strong story premises. The concept of a fully disabled man who wants to explore sexual life and a sexual therapist who has dedicated her life to help such people is quite appealing. The way in which the whole movie approaches nudity and sexuality might seem too open in the beginning, but this only reveals a much more tender and emotional side of the characters, while breaking the taboos of sex and nudity. With tender humor coming from open and frank dialogues, this almost soft-core drama never pays attention to the surrounding physical parts of the world. It is focused on the internal, the psychological and emotional lives of its characters.

This is actually the biggest achievement of director Ben Lewin . During scenes of sex and nudity, he manages to direct the viewers' attention on the inner feelings of the characters. Both, Mark (John Hawkes) and Cheryl (Helen Hunt) are communicating with facial expressions, with their eyes moments of silence. Their connection develops into a down-to-earth spiritual love in which Mark's innocent, childishly naïve and extremely fragile character finds its soul mate in the face of the brave and compassionate Cheryl. This ensures that Lewin stays on his initial course, entirely focused on the inner lives of his character.

It would not be incorrect if stated that The Session is far from being a mainstream movie. Even as an art-house delivery, it is not an easy delivery to chew. It escapes from over-sentimentality, but yet some moments are way too candid. Pacing is also an issue as the first third of the movie fails to really captivate the audience. This happens only after the introduction of Helen Hunt, but it takes some time for this.

In conclusion, The Sessions and its director Ben Lewin surely deserve positive nods. Its premises and outstanding performances would satisfy the fans of art-house deliveries, while the flaws will deprive it from becoming a modern art-classic. Yet, The Sessions is definitely worth-giving a try if you are looking for something unusual.