The Sessions

"The festival hit of the year!"

2012 1h 35m EN

👍

6.9

SOLID

★6.9TMDB · 636

DramaRomanceComedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Though a childhood bout with polio left him dependent on an iron lung, Mark O'Brien maintains a career as a journalist and poet. A writing assignment dealing with sex and the disabled piques Mark's curiosity, and he decides to investigate the possibility of experiencing sex himself. When his overtures toward a caregiver scare her away, he books an appointment with sex surrogate Cheryl Cohen-Greene to lose his virginity.

“The festival hit of the year!”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

John Hawkes
Mark
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

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Ben Lewin
Writers: Ben Lewin
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $1.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 9.1× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 14 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Ben Lewin, shot by Geoffrey Simpson. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Marco Beltrami. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Lisa Bromwell shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

John Hawkes and Helen Hunt and William H. Macy carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The festival hit of the year!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Ben Lewin directs. Geoffrey Simpson behind the camera. Marco Beltrami scores. Lisa Bromwell cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $1.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Made its money back 9.1× over at the box office.
3Released 14 years ago.
4Directed by Ben Lewin, shot by Geoffrey Simpson. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Marco Beltrami. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Lisa Bromwell shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7John Hawkes and Helen Hunt and William H. Macy carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "The festival hit of the year!".
9IMDB entry: tt1866249 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 36 themes, including "virgin", "cat", "narration", "wheelchair".