Pensando inicialmente ser um drama ficcional retratado de maneira fofinha e engraçadinha, mas qual não foi minha surpresa ao pesquisar e descobrir que é baseado num artigo de 1990 "On Seeing a Sex Surrogate" de Mark O'Brien , um poeta paralisado do pescoço para baixo devido à poliomielite, que contratou uma substituta sexual para perder a virgindade, que relato lindo e triste… Muito emocionante, sensível, relatos necessário, não capacitista, realista e divertido... Inspirador e excitante...

Love from a worm's-eye-view of the disabled. Very self-centered to begin with and as you walk through life through that self-centered lens you just realized you're just missing out on all the kinds of "flavors of love" life has to offer.

It was a nice little movie about a man who wanted to experience intimacy in his life and the women who wanted him to experience this. Very well done and you felt that the characters were someone you actually know. I liked it.

Too little was expressed in the means of emotions.

Kinda jealous ngl. 7/10 - Good.

An empathetically mature, light-hearted grown-up film with a fragile topic that secondarily intrigues behind the star power's praised caliber to find genuine tenderness in their sensitive approach along with comedic amusement being their smartest degree. (B)

A raw and intimate character study with two stellar performance from John Hawkes and Helen Hunt.

Based on actual events, The Sessions tells the story of Mark O'Brien (John Hawkes), a man stricken by polio as a young boy and living his life in a state of paralysis. At the age of thirty-eight, knowing that his life expectancy is limited, O'Brien attempts to fulfil one last goal – to make love to a woman. Helen Hunt gives her bravest performance in what was undoubtedly her most challenging role as the sex surrogate hired to assist O'Brien in his quest. The film is alternately hilarious and heartbreaking, filled with pathos but never resorting to shameless emotional pandering. Hawkes is fantastic in the lead role, as is William H Macy as the conflicted priest trying to come to terms with encouraging a man to engage in sexual relations outside of marriage.

Great performance from Hawkes and Hunt is glowing in this tale that teaches & shows how love has no limits. Such an intimate piece that hooks you & takes you on a great journey to open up the heart & hope.

Can't say anything other than it was interesting and I enjoyed it (wasn't sure I would). The lead actor was great, as was, really, the rest of the cast. Now I'm interested in the subject of the movie, so will be researching online to get more information about him.

I hated this movie. It has a great theme that can be done much better. Tries to be provocative, and the job of helen hunts character could be done by a prostitute. She also has a husband and a kid, but falls in love with the desperate and an invasive guy who must be in the steel lungs. He is a writer, but his texts and poems are mediocre. Her husband is the only character i feel sorry for, and he is basically non existent in the storyline

Wonderful! Acting is superb, the topic matter engaging and it is explored with nuance and finesse. Helen Hunt is beautiful and riveting. Such a great movie.

I'm giving this film such a low rating because it had the potential to be a perspective-giving, original story about a sexually frustrated man's goal to experience intimacy before he dies in something other than a rom-com. Unfortunately, The Sessions disintegrates into a trite, predictable, and cliche'd rom com, or drama, or comedy, or, well whatever it tries to be since it's not sure. The Sessions starts off on the wrong foot by distorting what sex therapy really is. Yes this was based on a true story (well, as true as what we're allowed to know about it) but if one researches sex therapy, she would know that sex therapy pertains more to one's emotional or psychological to sexual gratification than necessarily physiological. The latter would more likely be addressed by a physician, which I'll address shortly. It's somewhat rare that a sex therapist engages in intercourse with a client and even then it's well into their sessions- certainly not the first one. The film makes it appear as if a sex surrogate is there simply to provide sexual gratification to a client, for money of course, making Helen Hunt's character (despite her denial) more of a prostitute than anything. This wouldn't be quite as much of a problem had the film risen to the occasion and avoided plot holes and cliche's, which, disappointingly, it doesn't: A) The male and female leads fall for each other meaning B) Out of all the clients the surrogate has Mark just happens to be the only one she falls for thus making one wonder C) If Cheryl's husband knows she's a sex surrogate, why is he just now having an issue with it? but that doesn't matter since predictably D) The protagonist dies E) Having had sex with an attractive woman. It's the latter that really destroys the last remnant of the film's chance to be just the least bit thought-provoking. Wouldn't it have been a more interesting question the film raises had Mark had an ugly surrogate and aid respectively? It may have given rise to an idea that sorely receives any consideration: Being ugly might be just as much a hindrance to having sexual intimacy as having polio. Unfortunately, The Sessions makes its contribution to the Hollywood contention that the only people who are worth being intimate with are attractive women. Overall, The Sessions was disappointing but, more than that, could have had the potential to be dangerous, too. Had this film debuted in 2019 and not seven years prior, it wouldn't surprise me if an incel or two taken extreme issue with it by its premise that the only barrier a man has to having (an attractive) sex partner is physical ability. I've never seen an incel in an iron lung so they may have raised that point, too.

Both lighthearted and surprisingly respectful of the serious subject matter including the faith aspect.

One of those standard Hollywood movies where someone has a horrendous illness but actually it seems like the most fun in the world, because you never see any of the realistic downsides of it. It has a few decent laughs in there (especially the confessional scenes with William H. Macy) but other than that, this really is a powder puff film.

Though Oscar buzz has been circling Helen Hunt for her strong and fearless portrayal as Cheryl, a sex surrogate assisting in allowing disabled Mark O'Brien to experience all matters of sex with the opposite gender, as good as Helen's performance is, John Hawkes' flawlessly portrays a dry-witted, lifelong Polio victim struggling to balance his religious teachings with the natural desire to have sex. His humor and writing style bring a very palm-under-the-chin type of viewing that demands attention. The story is told very sweetly with meaningful dialogue and touching situations, even to its sad ending, which is still humorously narrated by Mark until the last line.

A poignant, heart-rending movie based on a true story of a man who has polio and lives in an iron lung most of the day and his search to find his sexual identity and hopefully love after living without those emotions nearly all of his life. Helen Hunt again proves why she is one of the best actresses on the planet. William H. Macy is perfect as the priest who becomes the sounding board (and friend) of Mark O'Brien, a truly special poet and person.

This was good sad and funny throughout.

A poignant optimistic tale of unusual tenderness, based on the life and journalism of the late poet Mark O'Brien and his autobiographical 1990 article 'On Seeing a Sex Surrogate', writer /director Ben Lewin's The Sessions is eloquently balanced between profoundly moving and ruefully funny. Sex, religion, poetry and the disabled may be the guiding themes, but it is emotional vulnerability that makes it unforgettable. Tackling a subject that calls for tact and discretion, we explore the taboos of sex and the guilt associated in a man singularly unique situation through compelling characters and wonderful acting to become genuinely engaged and touched by humanity. Paralyzed and confined to an iron lung after contracting polio as a child, 38 year old Mark O'Brien (John Hawkes) is not a victim to his condition. Graduating school and gaining independent employment as a writer and poet, Mark and his wonderfully active mind have achieved so much including a wonderfully wicked sense of humor of which he uses to shock his ever present carers and the patient Father Brendan (William H. Macy) . When asked to write an article about the subject sex and the disabled, Marks interest turns from discussions with similarly inflicted people to his own sexual experience and lack thereof. Desperately horny and embarrassed by his body's reactions to physical contact, Mark concludes he needs to lose his virginity before he dies. After talking it over morally with the good father and getting a contact from his therapist, Mark contacts professional sexual surrogate, Cheryl Cohen-Greene (Helen Hunt) who address not only his key issue of physical intimacy but his underlying issues of self-worth. There are clear rules of their engagement; to aid in Mark's body awareness and achieve intercourse within a maximum of 6 sessions at which time they must say goodbye, however it is Marks request for Cheryl to gain gratification during their 4th session that gives the arrangement a tender emotional element. What transpires behind the closed doors will not only change Mark, but those around him in equal measure. Inhabiting every aspect of O'Brien's character, physicality and emotional state, Hawkes portrayal is virtuoso. Hunt is supremely comfortable in her own skin and in its exposure, brave, honest and graceful; the 49-year-old is nothing short of a revelation. Their therapeutic sessions are invigoratingly candid and explicit without every approaching exploitative territory. Macy is skillfully measured for relief whilst having the deportment to absolve his subjects carnal urges, and O'Brien's three other significant female influences, Annika Marks as volunteer Amanda (the spark of his carnal awakening), Moon Bloodgood as his carer Vera (who supports his endevour), and Robin Weigert as his last love Susan (the one who embraces his sexuality) are wonderful. Simply astonishing and unreserved performances all round. The verdict: Some scenes were overly long while some elements needed more fleshing out, the bittersweet melancholy emanating from its complex ingredients makes this a poetically profound story of the yearning for human connection. Published: The Queanbeyan Age Date of Publication: 09/11/2012

Smart and poignant , "The Sessions" is an emotionally satisfying character study topped off with some excellent performances.