In Berkeley, California, in 1988, Mark O'Brien is a 38-year-old poet who is forced to live in an iron lung due to complications from polio.

After several attempts, Mark and Cheryl are able to have mutually satisfying sex, but decide to cut the sessions short on account of their burgeoning feelings.

The romantic bond that formulates between the two characters ensures that the concepts of disability and sex surrogacy are not seen by the audience as an emotionless act.

[10][11] 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.

"[15] 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.

[15] John 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.

"[17] To simulate O'Brien's posture, 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.

"[18] On casting Hunt as Cheryl, Lewin noted that "She really understood the paradox of being a middle-class soccer mom and, at the same time, having sex with strangers for a living...That kind of complex role needs a thinking actress.

"[19] Hunt described meeting the real Cheryl Cohen-Greene as a valuable experience, explaining that "The moment I thought I actually understood this woman was when she used the term 'sex positive.'

"[20] Hunt had few reservations in accepting a role which required multiple scenes of full nudity, saying "It's getting too late to not be brave, to not live my life fully, to not try to be an artist.

"[21] She revealed that her performance was further inspired by her feelings about body image and motherhood, citing in particular a scene in which Cheryl disrobes to enter a mikvah bath as one of her favorites: "One of the things I love about the movie is when the mikvah lady says, ‘This is the body God has crafted for you.’ I want my daughter to get that message.

[22] Fox Searchlight Pictures immediately acquired the film, paying $6 million for worldwide rights to it,[10] a fee considered unusually high.

The website's critical consensus states, "Tender, funny, and touching, The Sessions provides an acting showcase for its talented stars and proves it's possible for Hollywood to produce a grown-up movie about sex".

[28] 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.

"[29] 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.

"[30] 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."

"[31] The film also received criticism for the fact that while Hunt spent much of her time onscreen completely naked, Hawkes always remained covered.

Hunt also defended the decision, but commented on her own performance that "Anything less than the amount of nudity in the film would be antithetical to the spirit of the movie.

Dramatic while the cast received a Special Jury Prize for Ensemble Acting at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival.