Towelhead"" is not to be taken lightly. It is graphic, offensive, subversive, controversial and uncomfortable but much more enjoyable than those words suggest.
The movie, based on a 2005 novel by Alicia Erian, marks the directorial debut of Alan Ball, writer of ""American Beauty"" and creator of HBO's ""Six Feet Under"" and ""True Blood."" Set during the Gulf War, it follows 13-year-old Jasira (the captivating Summer Bishil), who is sent by her white mother to the suburbs of Houston to live with her Lebanese father after her mom's boyfriend shaves Jasira's pubic hair. Although Jasira's father is an American citizen, a NASA employee and a staunch supporter of the campaign against Saddam Hussein, his neighbors treat him like an alien. The father of the racist neighbors, played flawlessly by Aaron Eckhart, molests Jasira, and then tries to take it much further.
With a plot like that, it goes without saying that viewing this movie is an intense experience. Long, long after you leave the theater, it will resonate and the scenes between Bishil and Eckhart are guaranteed to make you shift uncomfortably in your seat.
The film boasts the best ensemble cast of any movie this year, each one of their performances memorable. Bishil, 19 years old at the time of filming, perfectly balances Jasira's conflicting sexuality and innocence, making the offenses committed to her all the more horrifying.
Eckhart proves he is one of the most talented actors working today, and Toni Collette (""Little Miss Sunshine,"" ""The Sixth Sense"") provides the much-needed morality of the movie as the woman every parent wishes to have as a neighbor, but Peter Macdissi steals the entire film as Jasira's father. His comedic timing is brilliant, providing the audience with a surprising amount of laughs for a movie about rape, and he manages to switch effortlessly between the wise-cracking father and the shockingly abusive authoritarian. If anyone deserves an Oscar for ""Towelhead,"" it is Macdissi.
Needless to say, Ball hits a home run with this one. His talent as a filmmaker is evident with every scene, and he shows no qualms about making the audience watch everything. Some may compare ""Towelhead"" to his other movie about a suburban Lolita, but this is more like ""American Beauty 2.0."" This time around, there's no hiding behind rose petals; every bit of pain and horror is exposed and the audience experiences what happens to Jasira the same way she does.
Of course, when a movie attempts to take on such serious subject matter, it is no surprise that some moments in the film fall short of their goal. When the kids in school are shown teasing Jasira and constantly calling her ""towelhead,"" it seems a little overdramatic. But with such an extremely talented cast and a director who isn't afraid to confront the audience, these minor flaws are easily overlooked. This may be the most uncomfortable movie experience of the year, but also one of the best.
Grade: AB
