I Am a Sex Addict (2005)

Director:

Caveh Zahedi

Writer:

Caveh Zahedi (writer)

Genre:

Biography | Comedy

Plot:

Autobiographical comedy about a recovering sex addict, about his obsession with prostitutes, and how that affected his relationships and his life altogether.

Plot Keywords:

Prostitute | Marriage | Autobiographical | Sex | New York City

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Caveh Zahedi	...	Himself
Christoff Colas	...	Man with Beret
Rebecca Lord	...	Prostitute / Caroline
Lindsey Tjian	...	Anna
Jenny Pompor	...	Polygamy Co-Ed
Michelle Roesler	...	Polygamy Co-Ed
Melanie Bonne	...	Polygamy Co-Ed
Anastasia Vega	...	Oscar Presenter
Seymour Kramer	...	Movie Theater Walkout
Sylvia Grosneau	...	French Film Producer
Phillip Minnig	...	College Friend
Thomas Logoreci	...	Anna's Husband
Angelina Moysov	...	French Prostitute
Jacqueline Wright	...	French Prostitute
Heidi Dupre	...	French Prostitute

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Brazil:16 | Australia:R | UK:18 | South Korea:18 | New Zealand:R18 | USA:Not Rated

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Company:

Reinventing the Wheel

Trivia:

When the completed project was rejected by Sundance, Zahedi tried to distribute the film himself. It was only after he won the Gotham Award, for "Best Film Not Playing in a Theater Near You," that producers began returning his calls, and IFC picked up the film.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): The Italian prostitute says her fee is "100,000 lira." "Lira" is the singular form (like "dollar"). She should have said "100,000 lire" (the correct plural form, like "dollars").

Movie Connections:

References La passion de Jeanne d'Arc (1928)

Soundtrack:

My Baby Love Love Loves Me

A Sexual Narcissist Tells All

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.