On the eve of his third wedding, documentary filmmaker Caveh Zahedi bravely turns the camera on himself to explore his decade-long addiction to sex in an autobiographical tale of personal peccadillo featuring animation from Waking Life artist Bob Sabiston and featuring a rare film appearance by French porn legend Rebecca Lord. His previous marriages destroyed by his obsession with prostitutes and his many intimate relationships sabotaged by his unwavering commitment to the concept of open relationships, Zahedi boldly bares his soul before the camera to offer a comic look at the life of one man who truly can't get enough. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Review
I Am a Sex Addict is about as nakedly confessional as you'll find among documentaries -- or rather, semi-fictionalized recreations of events featuring the person who experienced them, writer-director Caveh Zahedi. Zahedi is known for appearing in his own films -- in fact, he infamously took ecstasy on camera in I Don't Hate Las Vegas Anymore. But this is a far closer examination of personal demons, especially with such taboo topics as masturbation, sex addiction and prostitute fetishism on the table. Zahedi delves into some really serious relationship dysfunctions in this film, yet still manages to see the humor in each situation, resulting in a surprisingly airy tone. A participant in Waking Life, Richard Linklater's rotoscoped philosophy lesson, Zahedi is always good for a fascinating perspective on the human condition, which he voices with eccentric and engaging speech rhythms. In trademark style, he's cobbled together a highly watchable pastiche of truth and artifice, repeatedly calling attention to his own project of making the film. Most notable in this regard: the thematically coincidental casting of French porn icon Rebecca Lord to play his ex-wife, as Lord was just transitioning into mainstream film and wasn't known to Zahedi at the time. Not surprisingly, Zahedi also possesses a wicked sense of self-deprecation, with hilarious costume choices for the younger versions of himself, and a recurring joke about his lack of sexual stamina. What's most interesting is how he tries to involve each girlfriend or wife in his obsession, almost pathologically avoiding the instinct to be deceptive. By viewing his own "shameful" dalliances with anonymous sex through a light-hearted lens, Zahedi renders theses dalliances somewhat "normal," in turn providing a measure of therapy to fellow sex addicts in the audience. This tone also lends greater impact to the more serious moments, as when he plays a wrenching audio tape he recorded of his own breakdown at a sex addicts anonymous meeting. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide
Cast
Caveh Zahedi - Caveh
Rebecca Lord - Caroline
Emily Morse - Christa
Amanda Henderson - Devin
Greg Watkins - Greg
Credit
Bob Sabiston - Animator, Caveh Zahedi - Director, Caveh Zahedi - Editor, Thomas Logoreci - Editor, Richard Clark - Executive Producer, Hilary Soldati - Composer (Music Score), Greg Watkins - Cinematographer, Caveh Zahedi - Producer, Greg Watkins - Producer, Thomas Logoreci - Producer, Caveh Zahedi - Screenwriter
Presented in semi-documentary style, the film chronicles Zahedi's own sex addiction and its impact on his life, relationships, and film making. His addiction was manifested by visiting prostitutes, and being open about this with his successive partners.
