I Am a Sex Addict

I saw this film at the Tribeca Film Festival and loved every minute of it. The film chronicles the director Caveh Zahedi's own proclivity for prostitutes and how this "addiction" ruined two marriages and numerous relationships. When he meets his match in Deven, played superbly by an actress I have never seen before, the film moves from hilarious to deeply moving. Deven has addictions of her own, and suddenly Caveh is confronted with a mirror of his insensitivity to others. What seems like a film that might only appeal to a male audience, turns out out to be fascinating and touching for women too. Zahedi's policy of complete honesty may have tortured many of his ex's but it puts us, the audience, in the cat-bird seat. This film has great potential for reaching a mass audience in my opinion.

Although a dark comedy with a serious lean toward sexual narcissism, this film's quirks will appeal to those who don't mind exploring those dark corners of one's desires and laughing at their own inadequacies.

Caveh Zahedi is the screenwriter, director, star, and historian regarding his personal battles with sex addiction.

The most entertaining aspects of the film are that it is shot rather unconventionally. Although the film starts with Zahedi talking to the camera, waiting to be married for the third time, the scenes zip back and forth between Zahedi the narrator, Zahedi the actor, and Zahedi the narrator during acting (he'll occasionally stare at the camera and make a rather pithy comment while acting within the framework of the film). Part documentary, part fictional take on his experiences, the film delves deep into sexual promiscuity. Bit by bit we get to watch Zahedi fall into a pit of self-gratification with little or no concern for his girlfriends or wives. That he tries to be "honest" and "open" only shows his continued deep slide into the addictive process. When the women in his life fight with him, he's at a loss to understand why ("But you said I could have sex with a prostitute!") The comedy is all based around Zahedi's lack of self-control and his relationships based solely on sexual need. Watching him receive oral sex — his facial expressions and loss of auditory control — are absolutely hilarious; not to mention his fifteen second rise to orgasm.

The film is edited extremely well, mostly taking place in San Francisco, but also in Paris and a few other locations. The map animation sequences are very nicely done as are a few other animations related to travel and Zahedi's history.

The fact that I AM A SEX ADDICT won the Gotham Award in 2005 for Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You should be a useful gauge for those considering this movie as a rental or purchase.

One of the more honest films I have seen, dealing realistically with sexual addiction in a very deadpan way, Sex Addict still wallows in it's own self-absorbed repetition. The man of the hour, Caveh Zahedi, will certainly appear unlikable to many, if nothing more then for his shameful and downright insulting views on women, although in a very atypical manner. This writer, director, star, and bearer of souls delves as shamelessly deep as is possible into his troubled sexual life in mockumentary style, with brilliant results. Although chronicling a painful lapse into prostitute fixation, Zahedi's treatment of his entire love life positions this film as a modern day Woody Allen on sexual dysfunction. The only difference here is the graphic and starkly honest dialog detailing a man and his penis, in unrelenting fashion. While the pretentious parts may not add up to the transcendent whole that Caveh was obviously going for, the climax, so to speak, in which the narration comes full circle, was brilliantly executed and helped lend a final pull to the varied fact/fictional style. Ultimately, despite Zahedi's overindulgence and self importance, this is a fearless autobiography, the likes of which few film makers would have the nerve to approach. If one need any further proof of just how genuine and edgy this guy is, please check out the three short DVD bonus making of features, that truly capture some stunningly real moments in this already real film.

I am a sex addict is not another stupid comedy as one might suppose while looking at the tittle. It makes an attempt to be a smart film on very important subject, that is sex addiction. The movie succeeds in this respect and even at some points resembles more drama than comedy. Although I approve of extremely personal films with wise message and dealing with difficult, taboo subjects, I regrettably cannot write that I am a sex addict is a good or bad film. In fact, it's a mixed bag and wasted potential for me. Caveh Zahedi tells the story about himself without embelishment and sentimentalism, which requires a great bravery and distance. Nonetheless, the picture is very uneven. It starts very well, but then it 's worse and worse. The flick becomes wordy and lengthy. What is the biggest vice is a first-person narration which is repetitive and to a large degree irrelevant. Zahedi also appears too frequently (he's present in every scene). The superior moments are when Zahedi plays with form in order to entertain viewers. The ending is satisfactory, but it's too late to save this average movie.

Director of this film is Caveh Zahedi and he also plays the lead role in this semi-documentary style film. It assume it's based on a true story about a man named Caveh Zahedi who is a sex addict and is struggling to stay loyal to one woman while showing his sexual history. Now I can understand people that don't believe in marriage, but Caveh just tries way too hard to show that he is a nice guy with morals, I guess his own morals. In another words this is a very self indulgent film, which actually hurts the product overall. The narration and re-telling the stories was actually well done though and even if the director that was also playing the lead role is self indulgent while making and acting in the movie, he seemed to be very honest as well, just not that honest with himself. I think Caveh's main problem was or is, more than being a sex addict is that he just can't keep his temptations in his head. He just needs to spout it all out in front of his girlfriends while annoying the heck out of them while looking really creepy looking. I also didn't have any sympathy towards Caveh if that was intentional or not and he just came off as a bit of a egomaniac, despite his flaws he just seemed a bit way too desperate to be liked and accepted. The movie goes through these 12 step program until he finds his true happiness in life. So yes this is a self indulgent film, but it's also a fascinating psychological study. To be honest when I saw the cover for this movie, I thought it would go on a more serious direction, but I am glad it went the more comedic direction. And although some may say this film is repetitive, I didn't really have a problem with that, because it just made the movie more realistic. Even if a lot of what happens aren't clearly explained, like how Caveh made a drastic change just by going to Sex Addicts Anonymous meetings. It is a interesting semi-documentary in which most scenes are recreated.

6.6/10