If you live in New York or Los Angeles, as of tonight, you can hit theaters to watch actress Helen Hunt take the virginity of a 38-year-old man afflicted with polio in the new movie "The Sessions."
The film, based on the autobiographical writings of California-based journalist and poet Mark O'Brien, played by actor John Hawkes, tells the story of a man confined to an iron lung who is determined to lose his virginity.
With the help of his therapists and the guidance of his priest, expertly played by William H. Macy, he sets out to make his dream a reality.
Hunt, who completely strips down in the film, portrays real life sex surrogate Cheryl Cohen-Greene, who worked with the polio-stricken O'Brien in real life. A sex surrogate is "a professional substitute trained to help patients overcome inhibitions"—essentially a prostitute but with a limited number of sessions.
O'Brien passed away in 1999, but Cohen-Greene, who worked with Hunt to master the role, is currently out helping promote the film by talking about her real-life sexploits.
The film was also a special project for its screenwriter, Polish-born Ben Lewin, who himself is a polio survivor.
"The Sessions," released today in New York and Los Angeles, won audience and jury awards at Sundance and was immediately picked up by Fox Searchlight. And it's already getting Oscar buzz.
Watch the trailer below:
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