Today I watched Towelhead, a film that was recommended to me by Netflix. Overall I’d give it a 4 out of 5 stars. It was emotionally gripping and all of the characters were well developed, although the acting lacked at times. It dealt with controversial issues, which is something I tend to appreciate in a film. Basically it’s about a young teenage girl (played by Summer Bishil) who moves in with her father after her mother’s boyfriend treats her inappropriately. Once she moves in with her father a variety of inappropriate sexual encounters combine with veiled suburban racism to turn the cul-de-sac into a ticking timebomb. The movie is purposely uncomfortable at times but the intention is to promote thought and dialogue about the circumstances.
It is based on a novel by the same name, a name which is one of the most controversial elements of the story. In fact, the DVD special features consist of two separate panel discussions comprised of representatives from the movie(the producer, actors, and author) as well as members of the Arab-American and Sikh communities. The non-movie reps argue that the film’s name is as offensive as naming a movie (the “n” word) and that it was done in a cheap attempt at generating buzz over the controversial name. They complain that the only reason it’s acceptable is because the Arab-American and/or Sikh communities of the United States are not organized and strong enough to cause an uproar the same way the African-American community would be able to. The movie (and novel) representatives say that the name is meant to invoke dialogue and has nothing to do with marketing. The term “towelhead” is used repeatedly in the movie and that is how it came to become the title.
The producer, Alan Ball, who also wrote American Beauty(you can tell), claims that he struggled with the title for quite a while and in fact during filming the movie was officially known as The Untitled Alan Ball Project. The name was then changed to Nothing is Private but that title tested horribly with focus groups. Thus, he reverted to the novel’s moniker- Towelhead. He himself is a homosexual and asserts that he would never create art that would purposely exploit a minority. How do you feel about a movie titled Towelhead?
Interestingly enough, if you go to IMDB and search for “Towelhead” is automatically redirects you to the page for “Nothing is Private” even though that’s not the official title of the film.
Anyway, it’s not the most amazing movie ever but it does show some of the darker aspects of our society and raises more questions than it answers, which is usually a good thing in a film. If you get the chance, I’d recommend checking it out.
PS- It’s also set in Houston, which excited me until I realized what the subject material was all about.
