American Beauty and Six Feet Under screenwriter Alan Ball doesn't appear to think much of what some call “traditional values,” so it's no surprise that his incendiary directorial debut would serve up a spicy mixture of political satire, racial insensitivity, and sexual exploitation. Based on the 2005 novel by Alicia Erian, Towelhead—which is set in 1989 during the first Gulf War—finds 13-year-old Jasira (played by then-19-year-old Summer Bishil) being sent by her divorced American mother (Maria Bello) to live in suburbia with her super-U.S.-patriot Lebanese dad (Peter Macdissi) after she engages in inappropriate sexual contact with her mom's live-in boyfriend. Jasira, who has trouble adjusting to her new surroundings, makes a little spending money by babysitting the son of her neighbor, Mr. Vuoso (Aaron Eckhart), who also becomes sexually involved with the flirtatious young girl. Ball's loathing for conventional societal mores is apparent in nearly every frame, and he seems to not only revel in affording sympathetic treatment to disaffected outsiders while making “normal” people his villains, but also enjoys assaulting viewers with taboo-breaking glimpses of menstrual blood and references to pubic hair grooming for no larger purpose than simple shock value. Not a necessary purchase. [Note: DVD extras include two panel discussions hosted by writer-director Alan Ball on the controversy surrounding the film: the first with costars Summer Bishil and Peter Macdissi; the second with novelist Alicia Erian (81 min. total). Bottom line: a solid extras package for a distasteful film.] (E. Hulse)
Towelhead
Warner, 124 min., R, DVD: $27.99, Dec. 30 Volume 24, Issue 1
Towelhead
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