While the indie film world gets excited about Caveh Zahedi's new film I AM A SEX ADDICT, take the opportunity to go back and watch his great first feature, A LITTLE STIFF. The film is painfully awkward and totally alive in a way that few are, stemming from Zahedi's lead role as himself, and the story based on his own experience of falling for a fellow art student. The female art student and her boyfriend play themselves in the film. Zahedi was putting his own life front and center in his narratives, and seems to be the unsung forbearer to the current crop of narramentaries that are making the festival rounds, especially FOUR EYED MONSTERS, in which the directors step in front of the camera to reenact many of the more awkward moments from their own relationship. It's great to see Zahedi getting so much attention for his latest film, and he certainly deserves the praise, but it's unfortunate that he had to wait almost 15 years for the audience to catch up with his vision.

You can purchase the film on VHS from Caveh's site, or you can rent it from Facets (they do rentals by mail).