It is getting close to Christmas which means the Oscars are also fast approaching. The Sessions is a film that is aware of this fact. It churns out not two, not three but four of the best performances that are likely to be seen all year and tastefully presents a plot that could have been tasteless in lesser hands. John Hawkes, who is known for his versatility gives his best performance yet. Even 2010's independent hit Winter's Bone did not prove all that he had in him.Here-he takes a role that takes much physical, mental and verbal ability to pull of. Since this is Hawkes-it is needless to say that he does it beautifully. As well, Helen Hunt gives one of her best performances in years, William H Macy is fantastic as always and Moon Bloodgood proves to be a rising young star.
In the film-Hawkes plays Mark-a man who has had Polio since his childhood and does not want to be a virgin anymore. He decides to talk to his local priest, Father Brendan (Macy) who concludes that he should see a sex surrogate. It is then up to his newly hired assistant, Vera (Moon Bloodgood) to get him to go. The sex surrogate is Cheryl (Hunt)-a married woman whom Father Brendan views as "no less than a prostitute."
What the film does beautifully is shows that it cares about its characters. Mark is a nice guy who has led a life he wishes that he did not have to lead. The audience is engrossed with Cheryl because we know her intentions are good but also somewhat agree with Father Brendan. Father Brendan is just trying to help someone out even though it goes against his morals. Vera shows very nice character development throughout the film.We like all these people and are delighted to see them together. Part of the reason for this is the performances. As I mentioned before-everyone gives it their all and shows the audience what real acting is made of. Also-the movie is funny without taking any cheap shots. Writer and director Ben Lewin takes the disease very seriously but manages to spread some humor onto it. Lewin's screenplay and direction succeeds in spades because of this.
Lewin-whose last film was an unknown 1994 romantic comedy called Paperback Romance makes quite a terrific comeback here. He proves that any director and/or writer can still make an excellent film no matter how long they have been out of the game. I highly urge everyone to go see The Sessions-there is magic in this gem of a film.
(5 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated R for strong sexuality including graphic nudity and frank dialogue)
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