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The film is based on an article O'Brien published about his experiences with Greene, "On Seeing a Sex Surrogate," which appeared in ''[[The Sun (magazine)|The Sun]]'' magazine in 1990.<ref name="ew1">{{cite web |title=Sundance 2012: 'The Surrogate': A story of sex and the single guy with polio makes for a hot crowd-pleaser of a movie |url=http://insidemovies.ew.com/2012/01/28/sundance-2012-the-surrogate-a-story-of-sex-and-the-single-guy-with-polio-makes-for-a-hot-crowd-pleasure-of-a-movie/ |work=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |date=2012-01-28 |first=Lisa |last=Schwarzbaum |accessdate=2012-01-29}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thesunmagazine.org/issues/174/on_seeing_a_sex_surrogate|title=On Seeing A Sex Surrogate | issue 174 On Seeing A Sex Surrogate|last=O'Brien|first=Mark|date=May 1990|work=The Sun Magazine|accessdate=24 October 2012}}</ref>
The film is based on an article O'Brien published about his experiences with Greene, "On Seeing a Sex Surrogate," which appeared in ''[[The Sun (magazine)|The Sun]]'' magazine in 1990.<ref name="ew1">{{cite web |title=Sundance 2012: 'The Surrogate': A story of sex and the single guy with polio makes for a hot crowd-pleaser of a movie |url=http://insidemovies.ew.com/2012/01/28/sundance-2012-the-surrogate-a-story-of-sex-and-the-single-guy-with-polio-makes-for-a-hot-crowd-pleasure-of-a-movie/ |work=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |date=2012-01-28 |first=Lisa |last=Schwarzbaum |accessdate=2012-01-29}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thesunmagazine.org/issues/174/on_seeing_a_sex_surrogate|title=On Seeing A Sex Surrogate | issue 174 On Seeing A Sex Surrogate|last=O'Brien|first=Mark|date=May 1990|work=The Sun Magazine|accessdate=24 October 2012}}</ref>


O'Brien's life was chronicled in the 1996 short documentary ''[[Breathing Lessons: The Life and Work of Mark O'Brien]]'' directed by [[Jessica Yu]] which won an [[Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject)|Academy Award for Best Documentary Short]].<ref name="iw1">{{cite web |title=The Story Behind Sundance Hit 'The Surrogate' is in 'Breathing Lessons' |url=http://www.indiewire.com/article/sundance-hit-the-surrogate-breathing-lessons-567 |publisher=[[indieWire]] |date=2012-01-27 |first=Dana |last=Harris |accessdate=2012-01-29}}</ref>
O'Brien's life was chronicled in the 1996 short documentary ''[[Breathing Lessons: The Life and Work of Mark O'Brien]]'', directed by [[Jessica Yu]], which won an [[Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject)|Academy Award for Best Documentary Short]].<ref name="iw1">{{cite web |title=The Story Behind Sundance Hit 'The Surrogate' is in 'Breathing Lessons' |url=http://www.indiewire.com/article/sundance-hit-the-surrogate-breathing-lessons-567 |publisher=[[indieWire]] |date=2012-01-27 |first=Dana |last=Harris |accessdate=2012-01-29}}</ref>


O'Brien also wrote about his life in the book ''How I Became a Human Being: A Disabled Man’s Quest for Independence'', although neither "The Sessions" nor ''[[Breathing Lessons: The Life and Work of Mark O'Brien]]'' is based on the book.<ref name="lat">{{cite news |title=Sundance 2012: A 65-year-old takes on disability and sex in 'The Surrogate' |url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/movies/2012/01/the-sundance-film-festival-is-famous-for-discovering-fresh-talent-steven-soderbergh-quentin-tarantino-and-carey-mulligan-am.html |Sundance 2012: A 65-year-old takes on disability and sex in 'The Surrogate' |author=John Horn |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=2012-01-22 |accessdate=2012-01-29}}</ref>
O'Brien also wrote about his life in the book ''How I Became a Human Being: A Disabled Man’s Quest for Independence'', although neither "The Sessions" nor ''[[Breathing Lessons: The Life and Work of Mark O'Brien]]'' is based on the book.<ref name="lat">{{cite news |title=Sundance 2012: A 65-year-old takes on disability and sex in 'The Surrogate' |url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/movies/2012/01/the-sundance-film-festival-is-famous-for-discovering-fresh-talent-steven-soderbergh-quentin-tarantino-and-carey-mulligan-am.html |Sundance 2012: A 65-year-old takes on disability and sex in 'The Surrogate' |author=John Horn |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=2012-01-22 |accessdate=2012-01-29}}</ref>

Revision as of 01:55, 17 November 2012

The Sessions
Theatrical release poster
Directed byBen Lewin
Screenplay byBen Lewin
Produced byJudi Levine
Stephen Nemeth
StarringJohn Hawkes
Helen Hunt
William H. Macy
CinematographyGeoffrey Simpson
Edited byLisa Bromwell
Music byMarco Beltrami
Production
companies
Rhino Films
Such Much Films
Distributed byFox Searchlight Pictures
Release dates
  • January 23, 2012 (2012-01-23) (Sundance)
  • September 9, 2012 (2012-09-09) (Toronto)
  • October 19, 2012 (2012-10-19)
Running time
95 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
BudgetUS$1 million
Box officeUS$1,655,000

The Sessions (originally titled The Surrogate) is a 2012 American independent drama film written and directed by Ben Lewin. It is based on the true story of Mark O'Brien, a poet paralyzed from the neck down due to polio who hired a sex surrogate to lose his virginity. John Hawkes and Helen Hunt star as O'Brien and sex surrogate Cheryl Cohen Greene respectively.

The film debuted at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award (U.S. Dramatic) and a U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Prize for Ensemble Acting. Fox Searchlight Pictures acquired the film's distribution rights and will release the film in 2012.

Plot

Mark O'Brien is a man in an iron lung who decides he wants to lose his virginity. After consulting with his priest, Father Brendan, he gets in touch with Cheryl Cohen-Greene, a professional sex surrogate.

Cast

Production

Background

Mark O'Brien was a journalist and poet who was paralyzed neck down by polio since his childhood.[2] O'Brien breathed with the support of an iron lung for much of his life.[3] At age 38, he hired sex surrogate Cheryl Cohen Greene to help him lose his virginity.[3][4]

The film is based on an article O'Brien published about his experiences with Greene, "On Seeing a Sex Surrogate," which appeared in The Sun magazine in 1990.[5][6]

O'Brien's life was chronicled in the 1996 short documentary Breathing Lessons: The Life and Work of Mark O'Brien, directed by Jessica Yu, which won an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short.[7]

O'Brien also wrote about his life in the book How I Became a Human Being: A Disabled Man’s Quest for Independence, although neither "The Sessions" nor Breathing Lessons: The Life and Work of Mark O'Brien is based on the book.[8]

He died in 1999 at the age of 49.[5]

Development

Writer and director Ben Lewin, a polio survivor himself, first read about O'Brien's experiences with a sex surrogate from O'Brien's article "On Seeing a Sex Surrogate" on the Internet.[9] He was looking for material on sex and the disabled for a sitcom project, and stumbled upon the article.[8] Lewin explained, "I felt that if I could do on film what he had done to me with his writing, then I could potentially deliver something powerful."[9] While writing the script, Lewin drew from his own experiences with polio and worked closely with Susan Fernbach, O'Brien's partner during the last years of his life, and Cheryl Cohen Greene, the surrogate.[9]

To simulate O'Brien's posture, John Hawkes used a soccer-ball-sized piece of foam which he laid onto the left side of his back in order to curve his spine.[10] Consequently, some of his organs began to migrate, and he was told by his chiropractor that his spine now has not enough movement.[10] Nonetheless, he said it is "a minute amount of pain compared to what many disabled people face minute-to-minute."[10] Hawkes also practiced dialing the phone using a "mouth stick".[10]

Casting

Hawkes said Lewin met and read with several disabled actors to take on the role of O'Brien but said "none of them felt quite right" for the character.[10] Hawkes was drawn to the script due to Lewin's own experiences as a polio survivor. He read every article written by O'Brien, every poem by O'Brien he could find and credited Breathing Lessons for helping with his preparation: "It’s 25 minutes of Mark O’Brien speaking frankly and often emotionally about his life … him being washed, getting outside. It was just invaluable. It was such an insight to him, and his poetry is throughout that documentary as well."[10]

Distribution and release

The Sessions premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival as The Surrogate and was immediately acquired by Fox Searchlight Pictures.[3] Fox Searchlight paid $6 million for worldwide rights to the film,[3] a fee considered unusually high.[9]

Reception

Critical reviews

The Sessions was considered one of the 2012 Sundance breakout hits.[7] John Hawkes received two prolonged standing ovations at the film's screening.[11] It was praised by critics at the festival as accessible, enjoyable, and light-hearted.[12] Variety's Peter Debruge said, "... performances are paramount in a film like this, and Hawkes works some kind of miracle despite the self-evident physical limitations of the role."[13] Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter said: "... most decisively, in audience terms, it argues in favor of living a full life, whatever one’s personal constraints, of not being intimidated by societal or religious dogma or, most of all, by one’s fears... Hawkes’ full-bodied vocal and emotional characterization stands in stark contrast to his frail corporal presence. Hunt’s performance may be physically bold but is equally marked by its maturity and composure."[14]. Kerry Weber of America Magazine criticized the depiction of the priest, saying: "His character constantly spouts platitudes that make him sound like his seminary training took place in the self-help section of Barnes & Noble." Weber also criticizes the film for not adhering closely enough to the writings of the real-life Mark. As such, the film does not give due attention to the complex subject matter. Weber says: "Unfortunately for the viewer, “The Sessions” doesn’t make things quite complicated enough."[15]

Awards

The film received the Audience Award: U.S. Dramatic while the cast received a Special Jury Prize for Ensemble Acting at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival.[16][17]

Award Date of ceremony Category Recipients and nominees Result
Sundance Film Festival 28 January 2012 Audience Award: U.S. Dramatic — Won
U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Prize for Ensemble Acting Cast Won
San Sebastián International Film Festival 29 September 2012 Audience Award [18] — Won

References

  1. ^ "THE SESSIONS (15)". British Board of Film Classification. 2012-09-19. Retrieved 2012-11-07.
  2. ^ Rosen, Christopher (2012-01-27). "John Hawkes: 'Surrogate' Role Left Spine With 'Not Enough Movement'". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2012-01-29.
  3. ^ a b c d Eggertsen, Chris (2012-01-24). "Fox Searchlight snaps up 'Beasts of the Southern Wild' and 'The Surrogate' at Sundance". HitFix. Retrieved 2012-01-29.
  4. ^ Dr. Cheryl Cohen Greene website
  5. ^ a b Schwarzbaum, Lisa (2012-01-28). "Sundance 2012: 'The Surrogate': A story of sex and the single guy with polio makes for a hot crowd-pleaser of a movie". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2012-01-29.
  6. ^ O'Brien, Mark (May 1990). "On Seeing A Sex Surrogate". The Sun Magazine. Retrieved 24 October 2012. {{cite web}}: Text "issue 174 On Seeing A Sex Surrogate" ignored (help)
  7. ^ a b Harris, Dana (2012-01-27). "The Story Behind Sundance Hit 'The Surrogate' is in 'Breathing Lessons'". indieWire. Retrieved 2012-01-29.
  8. ^ a b John Horn (2012-01-22). "Sundance 2012: A 65-year-old takes on disability and sex in 'The Surrogate'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2012-01-29. {{cite news}}: Text "Sundance 2012: A 65-year-old takes on disability and sex in 'The Surrogate'" ignored (help)
  9. ^ a b c d Schoenbrun, Dan (2012-01-26). "Five Questions with "The Surrogate" Director Ben Lewin". Filmmaker. Retrieved 2012-01-29.
  10. ^ a b c d e f Yuan, Jada (2012-01-27). "John Hawkes on His Standing-Ovation-Worthy Sundance Film, The Surrogate". New York. Retrieved 2012-01-29.
  11. ^ Yuan, Jada (2012-01-23). "John Hawkes Gets a Standing Ovation for Sundance's The Surrogate". New York. Retrieved 2012-01-29.
  12. ^ Thompson, Anne; Lange, Maggie (2012-01-24). "Sundance Review Round-Up: Fox Searchlight Plans Oscar Run for 'The Surrogate'". indieWire. Retrieved 2012-01-29.
  13. ^ Dubruge, Peter (2012-01-23). "The Surrogate". Variety. Retrieved 2012-01-29.
  14. ^ McCarthy, Todd (2012-01-23). "The Surrogate: Sundance Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2012-01-29.
  15. ^ http://www.americamagazine.org/content/culture.cfm?cultureid=302
  16. ^ Brooks, Brian (2012-01-28). "Sundance Awards 2012: 'Beasts Of The Southern Wild' And 'The House I Live In' Win Grand Jury Prizes". Deadline.com. Retrieved 2012-01-29.
  17. ^ "2012 Sundance Film Festival Announces Awards". Sundance Film Festival. 2012-01-28. Archived from the original on 2012-01-29. Retrieved 2012-01-29.
  18. ^ "SGAE-FUNDACIÓN AUTOR Audience Award". San Sebastián International Film Festival. 2012-09-29. Retrieved 2012-9-29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Sessions_(2012_film)&oldid=523423878"