Paradigms of Health: Addiction Movie Analysis
In the film addicted composed by Zane and directed by Bille, the viewer is introduced to a woman, Zoe who has virtually everything a woman would ask for; happily married with two children and a white collar job but she disregards it all because of addiction to sex. Despite having sex outside her marriage, she also engages in sex with her husband in equal measures. The film depicts the topic of black sexuality that is rarely portrayed. This does not however prevent the film from its popularity from the female audience primarily because there are three chiseled and ridiculously handsome male characters who take much of the film time in state of undress (Zane & Blackstone Audio, 2011).
The film starts with Zoe, the main character getting out of the car with fascinating sunglasses and well-fitted coat. As she walks towards the nearby building, men appreciatively turn and gaze at her. Zoe responds to this bus milling back with her mysterious scar on the wrist. In the building, she for the first time meets a psychiatrist, Smith who is ready to listen to her side of story (Zane, 2003). Zoe pretends that her life is in order but we are introduced into a mixture of fake moments with her family as well as good sex with the husband, Jason. Zoe sneaks downstairs to watch the porn in the laptop after the good sex with her husband. She masturbates after watching porn, an indication that all is not well with her marriage. Everything is not as okay as she pretends. Zoe is passionate about art and she works as an artist representative in her own company (Zane & Blackstone Audio, 2011). She has a deep background in art as she supposedly reveals. Zoe met Quinton, a mysterious artist in a gallery and she bedroom-eyed her immediately. Before long, they have sex in an empty warehouse as well in his private studio. Zoe starts cheating on her husband and things get sour to a point that it becomes hard to handle. Quinton often tempts her with his nudity, tenderness and good looking face.
This behavior physically and negatively affects Zoe and leads to her neglecting her family. Instead of giving up her affair with Quinton, she embarks on another with Corey, a biker who she has sex with in the bathroom in a controversial nightclub (Zane, 2003). The new love portrays some strong sense of possessiveness and the two have sex frequently. At some point she is nearly caught in her office masturbating but this does not stop her from the habit. Things inevitably become complicated and finding a solution to the problem is rather difficult. Eventually, we know the reason why Zoe became addicted to sex through a 12-step scene program that emphasizes the need for inclusion of a site for viewers to get further information. Supposedly, addicted is a lifetime film with plenty of lessons for everyone. The actors consist of a ridiculous lot of recognizable human beings who are overly emotional. The only problem is the conflicted attitudes that the film demonstrates towards its subject matter (Zane & Blackstone Audio, 2011). The film is not only interesting but also educative as it turns out to a lecture later on. It calls for action on the part of the addicted in the society to change their behavior for their marriage to work.
Addiction is a disease medically proven just like other illnesses such as cancer. The only difference is that other illnesses have physical symptoms while addiction has social and emotional symptoms (Laaser & Laaser, 2004). In the film addicted, for instance, Zoe’s addiction to sex hurts her, her family and jeopardizes her career. The best way to confront this problem is through holding a conversation with the victims of addiction. As one holds the conversation with the addicted, it is recommended that he/she avoids criticizing or blaming the person but rather be specific by bringing up incidents. Letting the person addicted know how their behavior has affected their children, career, friendship and their overall performance is the best approach to confront addiction (Laaser & Laaser, 2004). Having a psychologists on board when addressing an addicted person is advisable. Since psychologists are trained to handle addiction, a combination of support from a friend and the psychologist is sure to bear fruitful outcome.
Psychologists hold sessions with victims sharing the same addiction where they are allowed to share experiences. In addition, victims are given suggestions on how to substitute their habits with other constructive but satisfying activities. The lecture given towards the end of the addicted film, for instance, teaches that no behavior is permanent. It teaches the viewers that the most important thing to do if a friend is an addict is to express concern in an honest and caring manner (Laaser & Laaser, 2004). It is also important to trace the root cause of addiction since it helps in overcoming the problem. These approaches apply in all addictions whether drug, alcoholism or sex addiction.
References
Laaser, M. R., & Laaser, M. R. (2004). Healing the wounds of sexual addiction. Grand Rapids, Mich: Zondervan.
Zane. (2003). Addicted. New York: Atria Books.
Zane, Small, N., & Blackstone Audio, Inc. (2011). Addicted. Ashland, Or.: Blackstone Audio, Inc.