A man in an iron lung who wishes to lose his virginity contacts a professional sex surrogate with the help of his therapist and priest.A man in an iron lung who wishes to lose his virginity contacts a professional sex surrogate with the help of his therapist and priest.A man in an iron lung who wishes to lose his virginity contacts a professional sex surrogate with the help of his therapist and priest.
- Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 19 wins & 64 nominations total
Rhea Perlman
- Mikvah Lady
- (as Rhea Pearlman)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaJohn Hawkes placed a cushion under one side of his back to achieve the look of Mark O'Brien's distorted spine.
- GoofsCheryl wears Wacoal bras from 2011, including the "Embrace Lace Underwire" bra style #65191.
- Quotes
Mark O'Brien: I believe in a God with a sense of humor. I would find it absolutely intolerable not to be to able blame someone for all this.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Chelsea Lately: Episode #6.160 (2012)
- SoundtracksFine Wine Tasting for Two
Written by Brad Hatfield (as Bradley P. Hatfield)
Performed by Brad Hatfield Quintet
Courtesy of Heavy Hitters Music Group
Featured review
Delicate Subject Makes For An Unforgettable Film
"The Sessions" is a sensitive and poignant film with an outstanding performance by John Hawkes as poet Mark O'Brien a childhood victim of polio that left him paralyzed from the neck down and dependent on personal attendants and an iron lung that enables him to survive the nights without suffocating. In voice and facial expression he manages to perfectly capture the life of a severely disabled man who likes to push against boundaries and retains a sense of humor--he tells someone that he believes in God because he needs to blame someone. This role is quite a departure for Hawkes who gave terrific performances in films like "Winter's Bone" and "Martha Marcy May Marlene" where he was Jennifer Lawrence's loner brother and a deranged cult leader haunting Elizabeth Olsen. Helen Hunt is memorable as the sex surrogate to whom O'Brien turns to help him achieve his dream of sexual intimacy with a woman. A professional as well as a wife and mother she doesn't hesitate to take exception with the notion that she is some kind of prostitute and clearly she isn't. William H Macy is the local parish priest whom O'Brien a devout Catholic relies on for advice and encouragement. There's plenty of wry humor watching Macy trying to figure it all out as he knows he's in uncharted waters. Based on a magazine essay director/writer Ben Lewin handles this unusual subject matter with great sensitivity and intelligence. This isn't some Hallmark TV movie it's a mature, honest film that isn't going to insult your intelligence. Definitely worth seeing.
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Details
Box office
- Budget
- $1,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $6,002,451
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $113,467
- Oct 21, 2012
- Gross worldwide
- $10,656,155
- Runtime1 hour 35 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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