Ethnicity, class and sexuality collide head on
Head On
Directed by Ana Kokkinos
With Alex Dimitriades, Paul Capsis, Elena Mandalis and Maria Mercedis
Adapted from the book Loaded by Christos Tsiolkas
By Conrad Barnett
and Natalie Wood
Ari (Alex Dimitriades) takes us on a 24-hour bender and illuminates an alienated subculture. He is unemployed, gay and the son of Greek migrants. He lives with his parents and spends his time distracting himself from a world he cannot relate to.
His family has carved out a space for themselves. There is an uneasy peace within the family. Though there is affection, the clash of values between Ari and his parents stretches the relationship.
Ari's parents were left-wing activists and, from the flashbacks and anecdotes, were probably communists. But as time has worn on their values have shifted. The father's homophobia and contempt for his son's attitude toward work is the major source of conflict.
Ari's bender begins as he shoots up at a dealer's place and then cruises the markets looking for sex. He visits his friends, smokes some drugs, goes home and prepares for a night on the town.
It becomes a series of encounters with friends, acquaintances and the police. Each encounter gives an insight into how young people cope with alienation and oppression in different ways.
Unlike most films depicting youth alienation, Head On provides an insight into why. Ari's reaction to being caught between a conservative society and a family who are "left" but just as conservative is to drop out — his fixes are beat sex and drugs.
The contempt of Ari and his friends for their parents' politics is well explained and adds further context for their alienation. While their parents debate whether Marx predicted the war in the Balkans, the politics of Ari's generation is about sexuality, opposition to racism (watch for the Resistance posters) and the freedom to live life without parental restrictions and expectations.
Head On doesn't present alienated youth as a homogeneous, apolitical group.
One of the strongest characters is Ari's friend Johnny. Being transgender and out, Johnny faces homophobia and violence daily, yet of all the characters, he fights hardest against hypocrisy and oppression.
Johnny turns up to the Greek dance club in a dress. In contrast, Ari pretends he's not gay, running away from the problem, and running away from Johnny too.
Another friend, Joe is set on emulating the life of his parents — find a job, find a house, find a wife and settle down. In this respect, he differs from all the others because he wants to fit into the system.
The sexism within the family is made stark through the domineering role of Ari's father, the general notions of marriage and tradition, and the experiences of the women. Both Ari's and Joe's sisters face even more parental restrictions and a barrage of double standards not imposed on their brothers.
The film shows racism between different migrant communities to be absurd. These scenes are some of the funniest.
Head On has a very modern style, it uses camera movement cleverly to create a fast-paced narrative. With close-in shots it creates intensely intimate scenes before pulling right back as the intimacy is shattered by the following event, making the viewer ride Ari's emotional roller coaster.
The soundtrack complements the themes of a younger generation in conflict with tradition, mixing ethnic Greek music with indie and techno.
Exceptional performances gave the characters the depth they need. Head On is not the first film to open a window on alienated 1990s youth culture, but it's certainly the most analytical.
With themes similar to those explored in Trainspotting, and a similar air of despair and nihilism, it differs in that it shows that the issues are not so black and white.
It's fast moving and sexy — watch for the masturbation scene.