Orgasm Inc: The Story of OneTaste
By Barbara Shulgasser-Parker,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Start-up exposed as dangerous scam; sexual images, violence.
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Orgasm Inc: The Story of OneTaste
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What's the Story?
Yet another cult, this one based on the allure of sex to remedy shyness and loneliness, is the subject of ORGASM INC: THE STORY OF ONETASTE. The sexual/spiritual/wellness for-profit organization, led by the charismatic Nicole Daedone, promised to elevate women's power through orgasm, but the more popular and successful the organization became, the more it catered to a membership seeking sex disguised as spirituality and guided by a manipulative and power-hungry leader willing to take them there and further. The film presents graphic images of OneTaste practices, recorded by a member who was designated the house videographer. Daedone, author of the book Slow Sex, suggests rape is something that blames rapists for a thing that women actually want. She excuses her pedophile father, who died in prison and during her childhood used her to lure his victims, not as a bad man, but as someone who was "expansive" and couldn't stay within the "arbitrary" boundaries set by society. Nevertheless, Daedone built a reputation as a spiritual leader whose practices borrowed from Buddhism, Scientology, Judaism, and Jesus, as illustrated by a montage of clips from her talks. Many scenes depict people stroking clitorises as part of a course on getting in touch with inner power, described with a lot of Orwellian double-speak. All the while, vulnerable people seeking community, empowerment, and better sex found themselves damaged psychologically, and, some claim, physically as well. At least one woman claims she was beaten and forced to have sex in the name of helping her reach orgasm. The group seems to have devolved into a kind of prostitution ring exploiting vulnerable members looking for solace. A Bloomberg News expose garnered the attention of law enforcement and curtailed the cult's operations.
Is It Any Good?
In Orgasm Inc: The Story of OneTaste, directors Sloane Klevin and Sarah Gibson present a clear and skeptical view of Nicole Daedone's OneTaste. They first depict how it might have seemed an attractive "wellness" choice for seekers and then reveal the dark underbelly of the operation. They allow Daedone's upbeat lectures to speak for themselves but gradually an array of her well-spoken financial and psychological victims offer another view, casting a retrospective sinister shadow on Daedone's goals.
By film's end, there's no doubt that with the golden tongue of a snake oil salesman, Daedone had a gift for targeting people's weak spots and exploiting them for the sake of power and wealth. A few days before the Netflix release, former members and employees filed a lawsuit regarding what they describe as "stolen" video images, demanding those images be redacted, which may explain the appearance of many blurred faces. The lawsuit cites images depicting "intimate body parts and acts of sexual intercourse," and "nudity and intimate touching as part of instruction … and methods."
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how cults work. Charismatic leaders can start with good intentions but eventually exploit the weaknesses and neediness of followers. How does this movie illustrate that?
Why do you think that a "program" that touts sex as a kind of cure-all therapy might be attractive to lonely people seeking connection?
How well does the movie communicate both the attractiveness of the cult and the damage it did to individuals?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming: November 5, 2022
- Directors: Sarah Gibson , Sloane Klevin
- Inclusion Information: Female directors
- Studio: Netflix
- Genre: Documentary
- Run time: 89 minutes
- MPAA rating: NR
- Last updated: February 17, 2023
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