Head On

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

In this gritty Australian drama, the nihilistic son of Greek immigrants indulges in 24 hours of hedonism in ethnically conflicted inner-city Melbourne. Ari (Alex Dimitriades), a 19-year-old layabout, spends his time picking up strange men for furtive sex; dealing, and doing, speed with his friends; fighting with his conservative father and beleaguered mother; and trying to look after his younger sister, Alex (Andrea Mandalis), who's involved in a clandestine relationship with a young Lebanese guy. Although Ari rails against the racism of Australian society, he's also a bit of a bigot himself. And despite his enthusiastic participation in Greek activities -- weddings, fortune tellers, music, and dancing -- he's also repulsed by his culture's intolerance. Best friend Johnny (Paul Capsis), who defiantly dresses up as his own dead mother, is an outcast, but the straight-seeming Ari refuses to drop him. During the course of a single day, Ari fools around with his friend Betty (Elena Mandalis) and several men of various ages and nationalities. He also pines away for Sean (Julian Garner), a dreamy college friend of his brother's, who may offer a loving alternative to self-destructive excess. When Ari and Johnny are arrested and brutalized by a pair of race-baiting cops, however, the chance for redemption seems more remote than ever. Adapted from the Christos Tsiolkas novel Loaded, Head On marked the feature debut of writer/director Ana Kokkinos, herself an Australian of Greek extraction. The film was shown in the Directors Fortnight section at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Number of Discs: 1
• Screen: Letterbox for TV
• Audio: Dolby Surround

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Alex Dimitriades - Ari
       Paul Capsis - Johnny
       Julian Garner - Sean
       Tony Nikolakopoulos - Dimitri
       Elena Mandalis - Betty
       Eugenia Fragos - Sophia
       Damien Fotiou - Joe
       Andrea Mandalis - Alex
       Maria Mercedes - Tasia
       Dora Kaskanis - Dina
       Alex Papps - Peter
       Vassili Zappa - Vassili

• Director:

  Ana Kokkinos

• Producer:

  Jane Scott

• Screenwriter:

  Ana Kokkinos, Mira Robertson, Andrew Bovell

• Book Author:

  Christos Tsiolkas

• Cinematographer:

  Jaems Grant

• Composer (Music Score):

  Ollie Olsen

• Musical Direction/Supervision:

  Irine Vela

• Editor:

  Jill Bilcock

• Production Designer:

  Nikki diFalco

• Art Director:

  Paul Heath

• Costume Designer:

  Anna Borghesi

• Sound/Sound Designer:

  Livia Ruzic, Craig Carter

• Makeup:

  Christine Miller, Narelle Leitch, Ann-Marie Hurley

• First Assistant Director:

  Phillip Madison Jones, Phil Jones

• Stunts:

  Zev Eleftheriou

• Choreography:

  Zois Tsikas

• Sound Mixer:

  Roger Savage

• Production Manager:

  Catherine Bishop

• Casting:

  Dina Mann

• Foley Artist:

  Jerry Long

• Hair Styles:

  Christine Miller

• Sound Recordist:

  Lloyd Carrick

• First Assistant Editor:

  Rochelle Oshlack

• Foley Artist:

  Steve Burgess

• Extra Casting:

  Cameron Harris

• Costumes Supervisor:

  Keryn Ribbands

• Location Manager:

  Tim Scott

• Script Supervisor:

  Annie Went

• Boom Operator:

  Mal Hughes

• Second Assistant Director:

  Christian Robinson

• Production Accountant:

  Gina Hallas

• Location Manager:

  Alistair Reilly

• Production Coordinator:

  Kim Travis

• Costumes Assistant:

  Shane Phillips

• Assistant Hair:

  Narelle Leitch

• Set Dresser:

  Lisa Thompson, Murray Kelly

• Musical Performer:

  Irine Vela, Racheal Cogan, Pascal Latras, Mulaim Vela, Achules Ylamgoulli

• Third Assistant Director:

  Iain Pirret

• Art Department Coordinator:

  Colette Birrell

• First Assistant Editor:

  Rowena Crowe

REVIEW:

• First-time director Ana Kokkinos crams more issues into her 100-minute debut feature than many filmmakers manage to work into their entire oeuvres. Frenetic, furious, and deliberately messy, Head On tackles the tortuous coming-out process of first-generation immigrant kids, the strife between Australian ethnic groups, and more familiar conflicts both sexual and generational. Despite its blustery electronic soundtrack and its in-your-face editing style, Head On recalls La Haine, Mathieu Kassovitz's elegant black-and-white dissection of racial conflicts in inner-city Paris. That said, a film this ambitious by a novice is bound to have its share of rough edges. At times, Kokkinos seems almost too intent on exploring every facet of her protagonist's complicated existence. Intriguing characters and ideas barely make it into the frame before the action sweeps off on the next tangent. Nevertheless, the fierce lead performance of Alex Dimitriades, the strong supporting cast (especially Paul Capsis), and the incendiary subject matter combine into a film whose scope and naked emotional power make up for its small structural deficiencies. A compelling riposte to bland, middle-class coming-out melodramas, Head On ventures out of the gay ghetto to take in the world as it really is. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi