Towelhead
(2007)
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Towelhead
(2007)
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Watch Trailer 0Share... |
Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Summer Bishil | ... | ||
Chris Messina | ... | ||
Maria Bello | ... | ||
Peter Macdissi | ... |
Rifat Maroun
(as Peter MacDissi)
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Gemmenne de la Peña | ... | ||
Robert Baker | ... | ||
Eamonn Roche | ... |
School Photographer
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Aaron Eckhart | ... | ||
Carrie Preston | ... | ||
Chase Ellison | ... | ||
Irina Voronina | ... | ||
Cleo King | ... |
Sales Clerk
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Michael McShae | ... |
Middle School Jerk
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D.C. Cody | ... |
Middle School Jerk
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Soledad St. Hilaire | ... |
Janitor
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Against the backdrop of the first Gulf War, Jasira Maroun is 13, physically well developed but naïve and unable to say no. As puberty arrives, her mother sends her from Syracuse to Houston to her curt, up-tight, Lebanese-born father. Over the next few months, Jasira must navigate her father's strict indifference, her discovery of sexual pleasure, the casual racism of a neighbor boy and her classmates, the sexual advances of the boy's father, the proffered friendship of a pregnant neighbor, and her attraction to Thomas, an African-American classmate whom her father forbids her to see. Things happen to her, but can she take responsibility and control, or is tragedy inevitable? Written by <[email protected]>
I was fortunate to view this movie in a cinema in the same weekend as I saw a stage performance of Moliere's "The Learned Ladies" and a DVD of "Memoirs of a Geisha". All three deal with the reaction of girls on the brink of womanhood who react in different ways to the pressures society has placed on them. Moliere was a favorite of Louis XIV in 1670, and his treatment of these pressures is remarkably pertinent to out own times. His play is instructive, as is "Towelhead". By drawing attention to the girls' problems, these dramas are warning us of the way society is treating young women. They are victims. Moliere uses farce and poetry, "Towelhead" uses conflict and some wry humor. The Geisha endures a life of conflict with no comic relief. All three shows produce the same message: don't let this happen to you. "Towelhead" is reputed to be autobiographical, and "Geisha" would appear to be so.
"Towelhead" is distinguished by some clever cinematography, let down perhaps by some careless editing. Nevertheless, the actors' performances are excellent, with most of the cast in roles that reveal them as childish. The drama unfolds not by having them grow up, but by having the protagonist mature and become decisive, just as did Moliere's girl did. There is an outstanding performance by Toni Collette as the pregnant neighbor who plays an important part in the youngster's maturing.