Towelhead (2007)

I can't think of very many movies whose title is a racial slur. The word is used twice in the first 15 minutes and it's slung by a little white kid. I am also amazed that Aaron Eckhart (A Neil LaBute favorite) is so comfortable in uncomfortable roles. But all of that is meaningless, this film is fantastic. There are so many movies about how hard it is to grow up, but this one takes culture into consideration. And it also presents the fact that all of the men in her life are essentially predators.

Jasira (Summer Bishil) is a 13 year old girl. Her mother is American and her father is from Lebanon, this makes her Lebanese-American and she has just gone to live with her Lebanese father (Peter Macdissi). There is a humorous scene where he ad his daughter are hoisting an american flag and he remarks, "It's more patriotic to fly the american flag all the time." 

Aaron Eckhart (whom I mentioned earlier) plays Mr. Vuoso. He is the father of a kid that Jasira babysits. He has an extensive collection of dirty magazines that Jasira finds intriguing. His performance is completely fearless and absolutely despicable all at once. But as an actor he does exactly what he is supposed to in the movie. 

Jasira makes friends with a young African American kid at her school. After she has dinner with his family, her father tells her that she is not to see him again. "Do you understand what I am referring to?" He says. There is racism from all angles in this film. The best line comes from one of Jasira's friends who says, "If you do what a racist tells you, that makes you racist." Makes sense to me. 

One thing I want to point out, is that just because a movie makes you feel terrible, doesn't mean it's bad. Of course it's entirely contingent upon the reason it makes you feel that way. I believe that this film is as truthful as possible. It's a film that could only be made in a post 9/11 and post W. Bush America. In a way it kind of takes a lot of the themes from the television series The Wonder Years and makes them more modern than ever. But there is an undercurrent of humor. 

The absolute best character in Towelhead is played by Toni Collette. On the surface she seems like a stereotypical Texan. But she is smart and knows everything that's going on. Jasira is resistant to her help, but after all she is the child and Collette's character is the adult. 

Jasira reminds me so much of Winnie Cooper from The Wonder Years. She talks the same way and she even looks like Danica McKellar. Her performance is perfect. She's an 18 year old playing a 13 year old. She's very convincing. But somehow seems to have the naivete that a young teenager might have. 

Towelhead isn't easy to watch. It shouldn't be easy to watch. But it's worth watching. Nobody knows what it's like for anybody else. This film is a good reminder of that.