By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Caveh Zahedi
Starring: Anastasia Gershman | Caveh Zahedi | Emily Morse | Greg Watkins | Lindsey Tjian | Rebecca Lord | Stephanie Carwin
Country: united_states
Year: 2006
Running time: 100
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0428649/
Michael says: “Caveh Zahedi is a bit of a cult figure in the independent film world. Many people first saw him as an animated
character in Richard Linklater’s WAKING LIFE. He was involved in a pivotal conversation about ‘the holy moment.’ Then a friend’s ex-husband, who is a big fan, urged us to watch some of his own work. We borrowed and enjoyed A LITTLE STIFF, Caveh’s first film, pretty experimental but original and intriguing. Now Caveh has released his fourth feature-length film and it is being distributed by IFC. On top of that, Caveh has been involved in a fascinating, public blog disagreement with Mark Cuban, head of 2929 Entertainment, HDNet, and the Landmark Theatre chain. All of this could lead to a greater amount of attention on I AM A SEX ADDICT that would normally be bestowed.
“Recent pop culture has thoroughly embraced the confessional memoir. I’m not sure if it was started by Oprah and other talk shows of lesser standing, that featured everyday folk coming on TV to air their dirty laundry; or if its origins come from MTV’s The Real World and the spate of reality TV shows that have followed where everyday folk come on TV searching for their 15 minutes. The confessional memoir has certainly found huge popularity in book form. One only has to mention Augusten Burroughs to find a good example, and the internet… narcissistic, uninhibited, anonymous… has provided an outlet for everyone to indulge in this bit of pop culture through personal blogs. Why should filmmakers be any different? TARNATION, last year’s Chlotrudis Best Documentary winner is a good example of this self-involved documentary genre. Caveh’s I AM A SEX ADDICT brings the confessional memoir into an experimental, narrative, not-quite-documentary amalgamation that transcends its narcissism and emerges a sweetly appealing film.
“The film begins with Caveh videotaping himself before his third wedding. He begins the story of how he got to a point in his life where he was marrying for the third time, and the difficulties of his sex addiction along the way. Caveh acts as narrator, as lead actor, and as director, commenting on the film. He populates his past with actors playing friends and ex-girlfriends or sex partners, yet includes footage of the real people as well. The film is a scripted narrative, but seems to ring true as a document of Caveh’s adult life as well. Caveh playfully tosses in moments to affirm the reality of the tale, then occasionally slips in hints that what you’re watching is actually a film. What makes I AM A SEX ADDICT successful as a film is Caveh’s wink-wink humor and willingness to present himself as an unlikable, troubled man. He’s not begging us to like him, and strangely, despite it all, we do.
“I AM A SEX ADDICT will be playing at the Brattle Theatre. I recommend you check it out. 4 cats”