Okay, IÂ’m not actually referring to myself in the title of this piece. But arenÂ’t we all sex addicts to some degree or another? IÂ’m talking about filmmaker Caveh ZahediÂ’s latest film, I am a Sex Addict, which just hit DVD shelves.
Caveh discovers a secret about actress Rebecca Lords during the shoot.
For the uninitiated, Caveh Zahedi’s films are an acquired taste. For those like myself who appreciate his compelling, thoughtful and hilarious work, a new Caveh film is cause to celebrate. One of my personal favorites is In the Bathtub of the World, an autobiographical documentary in which Caveh videotapes himself every day in the year 1999 leading up to New Year’s Day 2000. Okay, an entire feature-length film made up of video diary entries sounds like a borefest, but you don’t know Caveh. He has the ability to take the mundane and add a unique freshness to his observations – like an enthusiastic child tasting ice cream for the very first time. Bathtub is poignant and personal and real with a kind of brave intimacy you won’t find on reality TV.
Caveh is animated in real life.
Caveh is a character. Which is probably why Richard Linklater cast him in his trippy cartoon Waking Life as, well, himself. And itÂ’s not just an animated Caveh weÂ’re seeing, but Caveh on an amped up rant.
His latest feature, with the awesome title I am a Sex Addict, is the culmination of everything Caveh does best. And what makes it great is not only the story, CavehÂ’s struggle to maintain a normal relationship while dealing with his obsession with prostitutes, itÂ’s the way he tells the story. Caveh combines cinematic storytelling devices derived from experimental, documentary and narrative film wrapping it all in an extremely personal package in which he not only stars in the movie, but uses photos and videos of his old girlfriends to illustrate his tale.
CavehÂ’s personal asides to the camera contain a kind of brutal honesty that only make him more endearing, even when he's cruising Paris streets asking working girls, "Vous me sucerez?" (Which transaltes to "Will you suck me?" He explains to us that he canÂ’t afford to go to Paris, so please pretend that this San Francisco setting is Paris. HeÂ’s delighted when he meets the perfect French actress to play his French girlfriend and then learns that both women work professionally as make up artist. Things take an even more bizarre turn as Caveh is shocked to discover that the French actress he hired is actually porn actress Rebecca Lords. Caveh works the filmÂ’s flaws and problems into the fabric of the story itself only heightening the humor -- we're experiencing the story, but also seeing the dirt behind the scenes and how that affects the film. One of these classic moments occurs in a pivotal scene in which Caveh is supposed to get a blow job from his girlfriend. The trouble is that the actress wonÂ’t simulate the BJ. Caveh is seen discussing the issue with the timid actress as she continues to offer up her reasons for declining to pretend to go down on Caveh. (And on the DVD, there's an extended behind the scenes in which we see Caveh debate with an actress trying to get her naked. Why so uptight?)
One might best describe I am a Sex Addict as a raw, more real, underground version of Woody Allen’s Annie Hall. But Annie Hall didn’t have full frontal nudity. Or intense discussions about blow jobs. Or frequent visits to prostitutes. And while the laughs are frequent, like in Annie Hall, the ending takes a serious turn that is completely unexpected. I admire actors who expose themselves – full frontal nudity takes guts. And while Caveh only does partial nudity (no sausage shots), the degree with which he exposes himself on screen does not compare to those acting in the buff. The finale, er, climax will leave you moved and in tears. My only hope is that Caveh does not run out of personal traumas to explore on film.
CavehÂ’s raw personal film, I am a Sex Addict, may be the best date movie ever made. Any woman who views that film with their significant other will conclude that their man is not nearly as fucked up as that guy in the movie. Thank you Caveh.
Depends how you define addict in this context. There's definitely a scale of sex addiction along which we all belong somewhere, fuelled by procreative urges if nothing else...
starblood said:
No, I don't think we're all sex addicts.
Chris_Gore
Los Angeles, CA
September 2005
OCT 13, 2006 12:54 AM