Head OnRating:
Release Date: 10 October, 2000 Retail Price: $29.99 OUR Price: $26.99 You SAVE: $3.00! Cast: Complete Cast (5 total) |
Head On Reviews
Blazingly Bleak Tale of Desire Vs Self Loathing
Heads up to HEADS ON: this is a story of the agonies of isolation self-induced by a tragically sexually confused young man. Few directors have the courage to write and present the truly dark side of sexuality and Ana Kokkinos deserves a tremendous amount of respect for daring to go where this film takes us.
Ari (Alex Dimitriades) is a handsome, sensual young Greek man living with his proud parents and sister in Australia. They are part of a Greek conclave that holds to old country traditions: every male must marry a Greek girl and 'then he can do anything he wants' according to Ari's mother. Ari is gay but cannot fully accept his lifestyle, preferring to have dangerous sexual assignations in the filthy alleys of his city. He pals around with Johnny/Toula (Paul Capsis), his transsexual cousin, but avoids contact with him in public. Ari avoids life's realities (he has no job, he is financially dependent on his parents, he cannot relate to his father's demands for his life, etc) through extensive use of drugs and macho confrontations. His life is in a downhill spiral from which he is unable to escape. He attempts a heterosexual encounter but fails miserably. Even when the possibility of a real gay relationship is offered by handsome and masculine Sean (Julian Garner) he is unable to cope and destroys that blink of salvage. Ari's only devotion seems to be to his sister and his mother, neither of whom can extend a long enough arm to pull him from his quicksand life. Ari simply cannot cope with who he truly is.
The acting in this fine film is excellent. The camera work by Jaems Grant is both artistically creative and successful in capturing the atmosphere of the story. Scenes that are edgy are handled with realism but never falter into the sensationalism range. Both Alex Demetriades and Paul Capsis give extraordinary portrayals of very tough roles. This is not a film for the squeamish, but it is a fine portrait of gay life in Australia and especially in the Greek community there. Grady Harp, September 05
head on
a can't miss movie-certainly a must for anyone's dvd library....
'head on' is at once visceral, sexual, visually charged-complimented with an
explosive soundtrack. Thoroughly enjoyed the in your face platitude(sex/drugs-and anything that will numb the senses if only temporarily)and anything outside the realm of normality.
As gay(rebel or otherwise) one can relate with what Ari is seeing in those intense eyes-and admit it-we've all been there,
from the distant father/son relationship, to the cold feeling
of being 'different'-the use of stimulants to suppress one's eventual anger is vividly portrayed thru Alex Dimitriades incredible performance. Five stars to Ana Kokkinos direction,
the cinematography is engrossing-what a whirlwind of a man's
quest to sate one's needs! and the firestorm surrounding him. One must watch again and again to fully understand and take in the real tone of this compelling ride. Dimitriades is beautiful, raw, real and lost-alone like we all eventually are...(and what of any future films from this actor?!?)Hold on-head on
and revel into this day's journey that you will like more each time you view it...'Ari' is all of us at one time or another, and
you had to have been there to understand this film.
highly recommend it-you won't feel the same afterwards
(regarding independent films)superior performances/storylines over mainstream crap playing these days...
More Customer Reviews (18 total)
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