Movie review: Towelhead

by Alex Bentley

Writer/director Alan Ball has never shied away from controversy in his work. He wrote the Oscar-winning American Beauty, which had a teenage drug dealer, a man lusting after an underage girl, and a staunch military man barely hiding gay impulses. He also created Six Feet Under, the landmark HBO series that not only de-stigmatized death but also had one of the most three-dimensional gay characters to ever appear on television.

He's now taken on Towelhead, and even those familiar with his previous and current work (his new HBO series, True Blood, started a few weeks ago) may find themselves uncomfortable with what this movie contains. The film's protagonist is Jasira (Summer Bishil), a half-Lebanese/half-American 13-year-old girl who has been sent to live with her overbearing father, Rafat (Peter Macdissi), in Houston. Jasira is dealing with the full onslaught of puberty, replete with her first period and questions about her sexuality.

She's also dealing with a little too much attention from her adult neighbor, Mr. Vuoso (Aaron Eckhart); a budding relationship with Thomas (Eugene Jones III), a boy from her school who her father doesn't approve of because he's black; and racist remarks (hence the title) from classmates and Vuoso's son Zack (Chase Ellison), who she occasionally babysits.

If all that is sounding awfully serious, you may or may not be heartened to learn that Towelhead is a black comedy, perhaps the most darkly humorous film I've ever seen. Think “Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret” mixed with Thank You For Smoking. It's also overtly sexual, with Ball training an unflinching camera on Jasira as she explores her sexuality, both alone and with partners (though not always willingly).

The main source of viewers' discomfort is obviously going to be that all of this is happening to a 13-year-old girl (although Bishil was 18 when the movie was filmed and is now 20). No less than 10 people walked out of my free screening, which should tell you something about just how explicit the movie becomes.

The film clearly has satirical elements running through it. Many of the supporting characters are playing a hyper-stylized version of a caricature, so even when they're doing or saying despicable things, the humor of the situation tends to balance out any unease. However, this is not always the case. The gravity of Jasira's problems is felt by her next door neighbor, Melina (Toni Collette), and her offers of support tend to snap the film back to reality, making Jasira's issues almost deadly serious again.

Towelhead would not work at all without the performance of Bishil. The innocence and confusion she imbues Jasira with is heartbreaking and poignant, but also allows the humor to be felt when needed. Likewise, Rafat's words and actions would be almost impossible to take were it not for Macdissi, who knows how to deliver a line in just the right way to keep the audience on his side. Eckhart is sufficiently creepy as Vuoso, but even when he crosses the line (which is often), he never comes across as a heartless villain. Collette does her usual bang-up job, helping keep the film's heart and moral center in the right place.

Towelhead's subject matter is sure to turn more than a few people off, but if you can get past the surface, you'll be rewarded with nuanced performances and humor from unexpected places. It's not a home run from Ball like American Beauty, but it's a least solid double.

• Staff
• Verified User
• Anonymous