The Sessions
At the age of 38, Mark O'Brien, a man who uses an iron lung, decides he no longer wishes to be a virgin. With the help of his therapist and his priest, he contacts Cheryl Cohen-Greene, a professional sex surrogate and a typical soccer mom with a house, a mortgage and a husband. Inspired by a true story, The Sessions, follows the fascinating relationship which evolves between Cheryl and Mark as she takes him on his journey to manhood.
Despite its modest budget of $1.0M, The Sessions became a massive hit, earning $9.1M worldwide—a remarkable 814% return. The film's innovative storytelling resonated with audiences, confirming that strong storytelling can transcend budget limitations.
Nominated for 1 Oscar. 19 wins & 64 nominations
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
The Sessions (2012) exhibits deliberately positioned plot construction, characteristic of Ben Lewin's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 35 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.3, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Mark O'Brien, a 38-year-old poet paralyzed from the neck down and confined to an iron lung, is introduced in his daily life with his caregivers in Berkeley. Despite his severe disability, he maintains his wit, intelligence, and desire for human connection.. Significantly, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 11 minutes when Mark receives an assignment to write an article about sexuality and the disabled. This journalistic task forces him to confront his own virginity and sexual inexperience directly, catalyzing his decision to pursue sexual intimacy.. At 11% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 23 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 24% of the runtime. This reveals the protagonist's commitment to Mark makes the phone call to Cheryl Cohen-Greene and schedules their first session. This is his active choice to pursue sexual experience, crossing from his world of longing into the world of action and vulnerability., moving from reaction to action.
At 48 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. The analysis reveals that this crucial beat Mark and Cheryl successfully have intercourse. This false victory seems like the goal achieved, but it raises the stakes: Mark realizes he's developing real feelings for Cheryl, complicating the professional boundary. What began as a practical goal becomes an emotional need., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 70 minutes (73% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Mark's sixth and final session with Cheryl ends. Their professional relationship must conclude as per the therapeutic protocol. Mark must say goodbye to Cheryl, losing the woman he has come to love. This represents the death of his fantasy that their connection could become a traditional romance., shows the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 76 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Mark gains clarity: the experience with Cheryl was not about possessing her love, but about discovering his own capacity to love and be loved. He synthesizes his physical experience with Cheryl with his spiritual understanding, recognizing that he is worthy of love and capable of giving it., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
The Sessions's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs a 15-point narrative structure framework that maps key story moments. By mapping The Sessions against these established plot points, we can identify how Ben Lewin utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish The Sessions within the biography genre.
Comparative Analysis
Additional biography films include Lords of Dogtown, Ip Man 2 and A Complete Unknown.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Mark O'Brien, a 38-year-old poet paralyzed from the neck down and confined to an iron lung, is introduced in his daily life with his caregivers in Berkeley. Despite his severe disability, he maintains his wit, intelligence, and desire for human connection.
Theme
Father Brendan discusses with Mark the concept of God's love and human intimacy, hinting at the theme: "God will give you only what you can handle." The film explores the intersection of physical limitation, sexuality, and what it means to be fully human.
Worldbuilding
Mark's world is established: his creative work as a writer, his relationship with his caregivers (Vera, Amanda, Rod), his Catholic faith and conversations with Father Brendan, his frustration with virginity at 38, and his desire for a romantic relationship. He interviews a woman with polio for an article.
Disruption
Mark receives an assignment to write an article about sexuality and the disabled. This journalistic task forces him to confront his own virginity and sexual inexperience directly, catalyzing his decision to pursue sexual intimacy.
Resistance
Mark debates whether to hire a sex surrogate. He researches the topic, consults with Father Brendan (who surprisingly gives cautious support), and wrestles with Catholic guilt, fear of rejection, and practical concerns. His therapist suggests Cheryl Cohen-Greene as a professional sex surrogate.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Mark makes the phone call to Cheryl Cohen-Greene and schedules their first session. This is his active choice to pursue sexual experience, crossing from his world of longing into the world of action and vulnerability.
Mirror World
Cheryl arrives for their first session. She is warm, professional, and matter-of-fact about bodies and sexuality. She represents the thematic counterpoint: where Mark sees shame and impossibility, she sees normalcy and human dignity. Their relationship will teach Mark to accept his own worthiness of love.
Premise
The promise of the premise: Mark and Cheryl's sessions unfold over several meetings. With humor, tenderness, and clinical precision, they work through his physical limitations, his anxieties, and gradually build toward intimacy. Mark experiences firsts: being touched, being naked with a woman, attempting intercourse. Their connection deepens beyond the professional.
Midpoint
Mark and Cheryl successfully have intercourse. This false victory seems like the goal achieved, but it raises the stakes: Mark realizes he's developing real feelings for Cheryl, complicating the professional boundary. What began as a practical goal becomes an emotional need.
Opposition
Mark's feelings for Cheryl intensify, causing tension with the professional limits of their relationship. He confesses his love; she gently maintains boundaries. Cheryl's home life with her husband Josh shows strain as she becomes emotionally involved. Mark pursues a real romantic relationship with another woman, Susan, but struggles with how his experience with Cheryl has changed him.
Collapse
Mark's sixth and final session with Cheryl ends. Their professional relationship must conclude as per the therapeutic protocol. Mark must say goodbye to Cheryl, losing the woman he has come to love. This represents the death of his fantasy that their connection could become a traditional romance.
Crisis
Mark processes the loss of Cheryl and what their time together meant. He reflects with Father Brendan on love, loss, and gratitude. He grapples with the question: was this experience enough, or does it make his ongoing loneliness harder to bear?
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Mark gains clarity: the experience with Cheryl was not about possessing her love, but about discovering his own capacity to love and be loved. He synthesizes his physical experience with Cheryl with his spiritual understanding, recognizing that he is worthy of love and capable of giving it.
Synthesis
Mark completes his article about sex and disability, integrating his personal journey into his professional work. He reconnects with Susan on new terms, having grown in self-acceptance and confidence. He continues his life with renewed wholeness, no longer defined by what he lacks but empowered by what he experienced.
Transformation
The closing image shows Mark in his iron lung, but transformed: he is no longer the virgin defined by absence and shame, but a man who has loved and been loved, who understands his own humanity and dignity. The final title cards reveal the real Mark O'Brien's life, including his eventual marriage, affirming the transformation.