The Sessions - When words touch

Movie
German title	The Sessions - When words touch
Original title	The sessions
Country of production	United States
original language	English
Publishing year	2012
length	96 minutes
Age rating	FSK 12
Rod
Director	Ben Lewin
script	Ben Lewin
production	Ben Lewin ; Judi Levine ; Stephen Nemeth
music	Marco Beltrami
camera	Geoffrey Simpson
cut	Lisa Bromwell
occupation
	John Hawkes : Mark O'Brien; Helen Hunt : Cheryl; William H. Macy : Father Brendan; Moon Bloodgood : Vera; Annika Marks : Amanda; Adam Arkin : Josh; Rhea Perlman : Mikvah Lady; W. Earl Brown : Rod; Robin Weigert : Susan; Blake Lindsley : Dr. Laura White; Ming Lo : Motel worker; Rusty Schwimmer : Joan; Jennifer Kumiyama : Carmen; Tobias Forrest : Greg; Jarrod Bailey : Tony; James Martinez : Matt;

The Sessions - When words touch is an American movie from the year 2012 . The film is based on a true story that Mark O'Brien wrote in 1990 with the article On Seeing a Sex Surrogate .

action

Mark O'Brien has been paralyzed and dependent on a ventilator since he became ill with polio in his childhood . He may not feel numb, but his muscles are no longer strong enough to move. His mind, however, is clear and full of thought, so that he even studied literature at Berkeley to later become a writer and poet. But he has not yet been able to raise money for his orders. Instead, he has to deal with his unpleasant and rude carer Joan. He wants to get rid of her at last, but as a devout man he first wants to get Father Brendan's blessing. He gives him the blessing and Mark receives a new nurse in the form of the beautiful Amanda, who not only takes care of him lovingly, but also has an erotic charisma that makes him dream. Both come very close again and again. She is enthusiastic about his humor and he loves her body. One day he confesses his love to her and proposes marriage to her. But instead of the hoped-for reaction, Amanda is embarrassed and so sad that she gives up the job.

Disappointed by Amanda and deeply hit, Mark writes out the position of nurse again. The Asian girl Vera becomes his new carer. At the same time he finally receives the money from his publisher Sandy of the Pacific News Service to write about disabled people and their sex. To this end, he interviews several disabled people, whereby the desire grows in himself to finally be deflowered . But sex outside of marriage is out of the question for him, and since his marriage proposal has been rejected and he does not want to have sex with prostitutes, he again asks Father Brendan for his blessing on a first sexual encounter. Brendan struggles with himself, but gives in to Mark's wish, with both still praying to Jesus that he would help Mark on his sex journey.

Mark approaches sex therapist Cheryl, who promises him six sessions in which he will get to know his own body and that of a woman, including intercourse. Mark is absolutely unsure about this. All the information he has comes from books. He constantly has to rethink everything and to his own misfortune he ejaculates too early every time. While he himself believes that God wants to punish him somehow or that he himself is just the expression of God's strange humor, Cheryl sees his psychological problems in his strongly religious childhood and his belief that he must be punished and deserve nothing better.

But Mark also builds up feelings for Cheryl. He invites her privately for coffee. Although she strictly separates personal and professional life, she breaks this rule and meets with him. They have a relaxed, exuberant time. Mark feels encouraged by this and writes all his thoughts in a love poem, which he sends her as a letter. However, the letter is opened by her husband Josh. A small marital row ensues in which Josh accuses her of making her job personal. After the two supposedly make up, Cheryl can't keep her feelings and curiosity in check either. She secretly fishes the love letter out of the garbage can at night and reads it. She is moved to tears.

Shortly afterwards, Amanda reports back to Mark. She kidnaps him to the park, where she has a little picnic with him, just like before. She wanted to say goodbye to him again before she went to Germany to study there. He always made her laugh, which is why she loves him, but not in this way, but in her own way. She assures him of that with tears and one last kiss goodbye.

By the fourth session, Cheryl finally has sex with Mark. She sits on him and brings herself to orgasm. Then she sinks down on him and kisses him. He whispers to her that he loves her and she reciprocates. Then they lie together and talk about their feelings. Cheryl suggests skipping the last two sessions because Mark has now achieved his goal of sleeping with a woman. It is better for him too, because his feelings are too strong. It would only break his heart. Mark agrees and goes back to his old life.

One night, when he was indulging in his thoughts again, the power went out. He calls his friend and carer Rod, to whom he says on the answering machine that his ventilator has failed and that he can still breathe for about three hours before he dies. Shortly afterwards he wakes up in the hospital. You could just about save your life. In his patient room he meets the volunteer helper Susan. He makes his usual jokes and gets closer and closer to her with his humor. Susan is charmed by him. In the last years of his life she should still be his wife. He dies about five years later and all three women he loved come to his funeral, where Mark's love poem is read out.

criticism

The renowned film critic James Berardinelli praised Lewin for not tabooing sexuality in the film and for showing it for what it is, “one of the most elementary human drives”, although he does not romanticize it either. The film also contains a portion of melodrama, although "this doesn't always work". He praised Hunt's portrayal as "brave" and Hawkes as an Oscar suspect. However, he found it a shame that the “film ended abruptly. He could have used a few more scenes. "

The film is a reminder of "how unique sexual intimacy is, and how classy it can be," said the renowned film critic Roger Ebert . He also praised Hawkes, whose role was not physically demanding, but still required a certain amount of "timing and deep emotionality". The film is "not really about sexuality", which is why he is "particularly brilliant" because he criticizes and corrects all the "countless mindless and cheap sex scenes in other films."

Stephen Holden of the New York Times was pleasantly surprised that it was "a touching, deeply sex-positive film" that was more about "intimacy, tenderness and emotional connection" rather than "achievement, competition and conquest" to trump. He praised the "convincing" Hawkes, said that other aspects of the film are only treated marginally and wondered about the visual style of the film, which was "more explicit than necessary."

the daily newspaper praised the "touching, yet humorous and melancholy drama". Because in addition to the “amazing acting performance”, the actual process is shown “objectively and in detail”. "It is precisely this precision that prevents the film from appearing prudish or slippery."

The lexicon of international films said: "A refreshingly open-hearted feel-good movie that tackles the irritating topics of sexuality and disability just as bluntly as it is light-handed and, thanks to exceptional actors, entertains well, albeit with not too much difficulty."

Barbara Schweizerhof from epd Film judged that The Sessions is characterized by “its fine amalgamation of emotion and humor”, which is “the result of a brilliant script”. The two actors, "John Hawkes and William H. Macy, prove once more what a filigree craft film acting can be".

background

Mark O'Brien was a journalist and poet who was paralyzed from the neck down after suffering from polio in his childhood. He had to rely on the help of an iron lung . At the age of 38, he entered into a surrogate partnership in order to lose his virginity. As early as 1996, Breathing Lessons: The Life and Work of Mark O'Brien, a short documentary about him that received the Oscar for best documentary short film . With How I Became a Human Being: A Disabled Man's Quest for Independence he published a book about his life, but neither Breathing Lessons nor the film are based on the book. The film is based on the newspaper article On Seeing a Sex Surrogate, which appeared in the US monthly magazine The Sun in 1990 . O'Brien himself died in 1999 at the age of 49.

production

The film's writer and director, Ben Lewin, once contracted polio himself and has been dependent on crutches ever since. He originally wanted to do some research on the Internet for the idea of a sitcom on disabled people and sexuality, which is when he came across the newspaper article by O'Brien. He began writing a script for the article, incorporating his own experience with the disease, and working closely with Susan Fernbach, O'Brien's widow, and Cheryl Cohen Greene, O'Brien's sex therapist. He then interviewed several disabled people himself and met with disabled actors in order to cast the lead role. But since none turned out to be suitable, John Hawkes was hired.

publication

The film celebrated its world premiere on January 23, 2012 under the title The Sessions at the Sundance Film Festival . Fox Searchlight Pictures immediately bought the worldwide distribution rights for US $ 6 million . After being shown at several other film festivals, it went to US cinemas on October 19, 2012. It has been in cinemas in Germany since January 3, 2013. Since then he has grossed a little over $ 7.8 million worldwide.