Customer Reviews

Head on [VHS]

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Ari's a double outsider, gay and a Greek living in Australia(!). His parents are fervid Greek nationalists and former radical activists who alternately coddle and berate him, unable to understand why their values don't mesh with his. Not that he's totally outside. His conflict in this realm is one of the driving motifs here.

In one of the film's best scenes, his gruff father lures him into a traditional Greek dance in the family kitchen, and Ari succumbs to his father's attention with a kind of sorrowful desperation - he's quite capable of connecting with his heritage, but only temporarily, almost ironically. Typically the scene ends in a fight, with Ari donning his trademark headphones, and storming away to quell his nervous rage with drugs or sex. That's a short synopsis.

Although, this film pictures the traditional Greek family who immigraded from a small poor village of the high mountains of Greece and couldn't be adopted easily from the local society of US, Canada and Australia... Greeks are much more progressive in gay issues, but I would say that this film is highly realistic (in that case) and everyone knows someone like Aris (from UK, France, Greece, US, ... the planet Earth). Take a breath and watch it.

masterpiece

Rented it and enjoyed it. The story plays out well throughout, although the numerous scenes with the greek dialogue with english sutitles across the bottom of the screen did get a little annoying after a while. I would probably watch it again sometime in the future.