Towelhead
American Director Alan Ball (American Beauty, Six Feet Under), has displayed a penchant for scratching beneath the surface of contemporary American families, revealing that all is not as bright and glimmering as their cosmetic dentistry. He remains true to form in his most recent and controversial film: Towelhead.
Based on the eponymous novel by Alicia Erian, Towelhead is the coming-of-age of a thirteen year-old girl, Jasira (Summer Bishill), born to a Lebanese father, and an American mother. Living with her mother since the break-up of her parents, Jasira attracts the attention of her mother’s new beau. Jealousy rather than moral indignation forces her mother to send her to live with her father.
Warner Brothers was criticised for the title of this film. Yes, it’s a racial slur, but that’s the whole point. Alicia Arian, the author of the book upon which this film is based, is an Arab American, and all too familiar with the meaning behind the term "towelhead". The truth is, the character of her book is dealing with a number of issues: gender issues, cultural issues, adolescent issues and, yes, racial issues. Arian defended the title of the film, and while Warner Brothers issued an explanation of the film’s title in context, thankfully it didn’t back down on its use of the title. The irony is that many Lebanese people don’t necessarily consider themselves to be Arabs. Furthermore, Ball, a homosexual, has stated that he is well aware of the power of derogatory epithets. It seems that those complaining about the title of the film have missed the point.
Set in the first Gulf War of the early 90s, Towelhead traces the life of a girl from menarche to sexual awakening and beyond. Coming-of-age stories from the female perspective are rare, and it’s difficult to think of one that deals with this subject matter in such an explicit manner. Certainly, there are many moments in this film that are uncomfortable to watch (particularly those surrounding Jasira’s sexual initiation at the hands of an exploitative neighbour). It is a credit to Ball’s masterful direction and integrity, that the film’s sexual content manages to be truthful without ever being titillating.
In typically black fashion, Ball tempers the difficult subject matter, with occasional doses of humour. Jasira’s father, a tyrannical moral arch-conservative, is also the source of many of the film’s funniest moments.
Jasira is caught between parents, between cultures, between the expectation that girls of her age should be chaste, and her own desires. These are very real themes, given courageously frank treatment by the filmmakers and cast alike.
One can only hope that this is a sign that coming-of-age stories will no longer be monopolised by tales of boys for whom females are merely one-dimensional ancillary characters or, more commonly, sex objects. In a time when most films about teenage girls are smeared with a glossy veneer, Towelhead is a refreshingly honest and impressively bold film.