Watch The Sessions

The Sessions is an independent drama that was released in 2012. The film is based on the autobiography of poet Mark O’Brien. The film centers around the character of Mark O’Brien, who has been forced to live in an iron lung for many years because he suffers from polio. Mark really wants to lose his virginity. He consults with his priest about what to do and he decides that his best course of action is to hire a sex worker. He also meets with a therapist. He finds Cheryl Cohn-Greene who makes a living as a professional sex surrogate. Despite her unusual job, Cheryl is a typical woman. She leads a busy life shuttling her kids to soccer practice and she was a mortgage and other household bills. Much of the film is focused on the unusual and close relationship that develops between Cheryl and Mark. It shows how Cheryl’s unique friendship allows Mark to grow as a man. The film depicts a lot of Mark’s accomplishments. Despite the fact that he was confined to an iron long, he is an accomplished poet. He taught himself to write by holding a stick between his teeth and typing out words one letter at a time. Mark really wants to lose his virginity before he dies and yet he is a devout Catholic. He struggles with many of the churches teaching on sex and intimacy and that is why his sessions with his priest are so important to him. It is his priest that suggests he hires the sex surrogate. Cheryl is excellent at her job and she is also a psychologist. For Mark to have sex turns out to be a complicated procedure, but Cheryl is great at it. She takes her time to teach Mark about all the different erogenous zones of the body and she knows how to attend to him without crushing him or damaging his iron long. Cheryl and Mark have decided to limit themselves to six sessions and she really does extensive exercises with him. The two of them work on learning Mark’s body and how it responds to various stimuli. The two definitely grow closer throughout these sessions. Mark even begins to fall in love with Cheryl and she, although she is married, develops some strong feelings for him. The Sessions is rated R, there is nudity and frank sexual content.