Movies about disability usually follow a tired script. You know the one. Someone suffers, someone overcomes, and the audience leaves feeling vaguely inspired but completely disconnected from the messy reality of being a human with a body. The Sessions is different. It’s gritty. It’s funny. Honestly, it’s kinda awkward at times, but that’s exactly why it works.
If you haven’t seen the Helen Hunt movie The Sessions, you’re missing out on one of the most daring performances of the 2010s. It’s not just about a guy in an iron lung wanting to lose his virginity. It’s about the terrifying vulnerability of being seen—literally and figuratively.
The Real Story Behind the Film
Mark O'Brien was a real person. He wasn't some Hollywood invention designed to make us cry. He was a poet and a journalist who lived most of his life in an iron lung after contracting polio as a kid. At 38, he realized he didn't want to die a virgin.
Basically, he felt like he was running out of time.
He wrote an article titled "On Seeing a Sex Surrogate" for The Sun magazine back in 1990. That article became the blueprint for the movie. Ben Lewin, the director, actually stumbled across it while searching for "disabled sex" online. Lewin had polio himself, so he brought a level of "no-BS" authenticity to the project that most able-bodied directors would’ve botched.
Why Helen Hunt Almost Didn't Do It
When Helen Hunt first got the script for the Helen Hunt movie The Sessions, she "flatlined." She had no idea what a sex surrogate actually did. Was it prostitution? Was it therapy? She wasn't sure.
She met the real Cheryl Cohen-Greene at a raw-foods restaurant in Santa Monica. Cheryl is a legendary figure in the world of surrogate partner therapy. She’s not a hooker. She’s a professional who works with people to overcome sexual anxieties or physical limitations.
Hunt was fascinated by the "paradox" of the character. On one hand, Cheryl was a suburban "soccer mom" with a husband and kids. On the other hand, her job involved having sex with strangers for therapeutic reasons. Hunt eventually agreed to the role, but she didn't just show up and read lines.
She actually went to Cheryl's house. She practiced "sensitive touch" techniques on her own partner at the time, Matthew Carnahan, while Cheryl supervised. That’s commitment.
The Nudity Conversation
Let's talk about the elephant in the room. Helen Hunt is nude for a huge chunk of this movie.
In a world where every "prestige" film seems to use body doubles or strategic lighting, Hunt's performance is startlingly raw. She was 49 at the time. She didn't look like a 20-year-old Instagram model; she looked like a real woman. This wasn't about being erotic. It was about clinical, compassionate intimacy.
The nudity serves a purpose. It levels the playing field between her and Mark (played by John Hawkes). While Mark is physically trapped in his body, Cheryl is entirely exposed. It creates a weird, beautiful balance.
The Sessions: What Most People Get Wrong
People often confuse sex surrogacy with sex work. The film tries really hard to draw a line there.
- Surrogacy is finite. In the movie, they agree to exactly six sessions. That’s it.
- The goal is independence. You’re not supposed to keep coming back.
- It’s educational. As Cheryl tells Mark, it’s like "cooking school" versus going to a restaurant.
Another big misconception? That this is a "sad" movie. It’s really not. William H. Macy plays a priest, Father Brendan, who basically gives Mark a "hall pass" from God to go through with it. Their conversations are some of the funniest parts of the film.
The John Hawkes Factor
You can't talk about the Helen Hunt movie The Sessions without mentioning John Hawkes. He spent the entire shoot lying on a "torture device" to mimic the spinal curvature of a polio survivor. He couldn't move his body from the neck down.
Everything had to happen in his face.
The chemistry between Hawkes and Hunt is what saves the movie from being a "Lifetime" special. It’s prickly. It’s occasionally embarrassing. There’s a scene where Cheryl holds up a mirror so Mark can see his own body for the first time in decades. It’s one of those moments that makes your chest tight.
A Legacy of Nuance
The film was a massive hit at Sundance in 2012. Fox Searchlight bought it for nearly $6 million, which was huge for a small indie drama.
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Helen Hunt ended up with an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Some critics argued she should have been in the Best Actress category because she’s essentially the co-lead. Regardless, the nomination solidified the film’s place in the "must-watch" canon.
What’s interesting is how the movie handles religion. Mark is a devout Catholic. Usually, movies frame religion as the "villain" that stops people from being sexual. Here, Father Brendan is Mark’s biggest cheerleader. It adds a layer of spiritual complexity that most modern films are too scared to touch.
Actionable Takeaways for Movie Lovers
If you’re planning to watch—or rewatch—the Helen Hunt movie The Sessions, keep these things in mind to get the most out of it:
- Watch the Documentary First: Check out Breathing Lessons: The Life and Work of Mark O'Brien. It won an Oscar in 1997. Seeing the real Mark helps you appreciate how much John Hawkes nailed the performance.
- Read Cheryl’s Book: Cheryl Cohen-Greene wrote a memoir called An Intimate Life. It goes way deeper into the mechanics of her job than the movie does.
- Look for the "Third Love": The movie simplifies Mark’s life a bit. In reality, he had a long-term partner named Susan Fernbach who was with him until he died in 1999. The film introduces her late in the story, but she was a massive part of his real legacy.
- Pay Attention to the Lighting: Notice how the "sessions" are lit. They start out feeling clinical and cold, but as the emotional wall drops, the visual tone shifts to something much warmer.
The Helen Hunt movie The Sessions isn't just a "disability movie." It’s a film about the universal fear of being alone and the radical courage it takes to ask for what you need. It’s honest, it’s a bit messy, and it’s one of the best things Helen Hunt has ever done.
Next Steps:
To fully grasp the impact of this story, start by watching the 1996 documentary Breathing Lessons. It provides the raw, unpolished context of Mark O'Brien's daily life that makes the fictionalized version in The Sessions feel even more significant. After watching the film, read Mark O'Brien's original 1990 essay "On Seeing a Sex Surrogate" to see how closely Ben Lewin captured his specific, poetic voice.