CALIFORNIA SOBER / in production

A documentary exploration of queer pleasure, trauma, and the search for clarity

California Sober is a raw and introspective documentary that delves into the complex relationship between the queer community and vices — from drug use and sex addiction to club culture and the pursuit of excessive pleasure. It poses an honest and difficult question: when does pleasure stop being a celebration of life and become a mask for unresolved pain?

Rooted in lived experience, this film explores how societal rejection, trauma, and a deep yearning for acceptance can push queer individuals toward habits that promise escape — but often lead to self-destruction. Pleasure, in its purest form — sex, dancing, connection — is a life force. But when it becomes a tool for numbing, it begins to consume rather than liberate.

California Sober isn’t about condemning or moralizing. It's about pausing. Reflecting. Asking: What are we really chasing? What are we trying to heal?

This documentary follows individuals confronting the cycle of excess and choosing to look inward — to rediscover boundaries, self-love, and what it means to seek joy that isn't borrowed from oblivion. It’s a meditation on the moment when the question “Is this still fun?” becomes unavoidable — and the desire for peace finally demands a new path.

Honest, vulnerable, and urgent, California Sober invites us to reconsider the price we pay for pleasure — and what we might find when we finally come back to ourselves.