Featured Audience Ratings

• Jim H

  
  A young Arab-American girl lives with her insensitive, racist father and grows to sexual awakening after she's raped by a neighbor. This is the feel-good movie of the year if your idea of a great date movie is Bastard out of Carolina. At every plot turn, director and co-writer… More
  A young Arab-American girl lives with her insensitive, racist father and grows to sexual awakening after she's raped by a neighbor. This is the feel-good movie of the year if your idea of a great date movie is Bastard out of Carolina. At every plot turn, director and co-writer Alan Ball's film gets more and more disturbing. It packs in themes of sexual abuse and growing sexual maturity with themes of racism and parenthood. And while Toni Collette's character is supposed to be the liberal moral center of the film, most of the characters are so remarkably distasteful that no matter how hard Ball tries to make us see them as real, flawed people, the film comes off as disturbing for disturbing's sake. I suppose the film tries to present the American Dream as a flawed notion tainted by racism, leaving children as its most vulnerable victims, but instead the film merely amounts to a collection of atrocities. The performances are all good. I haven't seen Aaron Eckhart play not-Aaron-Eckhart until this film, and Summer Bishil gives a wise-beyond-her-years portrayal of Jasira, the victim of the film's worst events. Overall, this is a great film if you want to hate everything for a while.

• William D

  
  Prolific screenwriter Alan Ball ("American Beauty," "Six Feet Under," "True Blood") has only tried his hand at direction a few times. "Towelhead," which he also wrote, was his first and (so far) last attempt at directing a feature film. Based on… More
  Prolific screenwriter Alan Ball ("American Beauty," "Six Feet Under," "True Blood") has only tried his hand at direction a few times. "Towelhead," which he also wrote, was his first and (so far) last attempt at directing a feature film. Based on the mediocre results, I don't think he'll be directing any more films. He should stick to writing, especially television writing. That's where his talent lies. "Towelhead" has some very interesting subject matter and has many very courageous aspects. It tells the story of a 13-year-old suburban girl of mixed Lebanese and white American heritage coming to terms with many things, including the break-up of her parents, her suddenly surging sexual desire, and anti-Middle Eastern prejudice. Initially, I thought the film was going to be a send-up of the way semi-educated Americans perceive Middle Easterners. There's certainly plenty of that. But the center of the film is the girl's emerging sexuality. A major sequence depicts her learning to give herself orgasms, for example. We also see her exploring pornography and learning to flirt with both boys and men. What's perhaps most interesting is how the adults around her react. This is very interesting subject matter. The original novel was written by an American woman of Middle Eastern descent (Alicia Erian), and it was intended not for titillation but for serious artistic exploration of the sexual side of life and the difficulties girls face in exploring their sexualities. Alan Ball, in adapting the screenplay, takes the subject matter seriously as well. The problem is that the direction is horrendously flat and bland. Its style is also relentlessly television-like. It is obvious that Ball spent the 10 years leading up to the project completely immersed in television. After about an hour, I could barely watch it any longer. The editing is also so bad that the film ends up repeating itself over and over. The screenwriting also often seems unsure of what it wants to say or even explore. It's often also just flat-out boring. Bottom line: great subject matter, weak film adaptation.

• Nicki M

  
  Very dark for a comedy,(at least I assume it was intended to be a comedy). Kind of in some ways like a Todd Solondz film. Good but I think tied up a little too easily at the ends and the actual ending I didn't like too much and couldn't see why they chose to end the film… More
  Very dark for a comedy,(at least I assume it was intended to be a comedy). Kind of in some ways like a Todd Solondz film. Good but I think tied up a little too easily at the ends and the actual ending I didn't like too much and couldn't see why they chose to end the film there.(Maybe it was meant to be hopeful, for me, I just found it off putting - not my favourite scene in any movie. LOL). The young girl who plays Jasira is very good as were the rest of the cast.

• Cassandra M

  
  How Can You Find Yourself if No One Can See You? Plot: A young Arab-American girl struggles with her sexual obsession, a bigoted Army reservist and her strict father during the Gulf War. I got really, really, but I mean, really lucky to catch this at the Deauville American Film… More
  How Can You Find Yourself if No One Can See You? Plot: A young Arab-American girl struggles with her sexual obsession, a bigoted Army reservist and her strict father during the Gulf War. I got really, really, but I mean, really lucky to catch this at the Deauville American Film Festival. Can you imagine it? I flew all over to France to see Alan Ball's new movie. Well, I did it. Anyway, Nothing is Private (or Towelhead, as it is called now) is the new film written for the screen, produced and directed by Alan Ball and based upon the novel Towelhead by Alicia Erian. Some people say this movie is a porno and that is sick. But, I can, proudly, compare it with "American Beauty" (also one of my favourite movies, also). You can call me whatever you want and say that I'm nuts, but that's my point of view. The film is set on the year 1991 on the Gulf War. When I first read the novel I thought: Well, this doesn't looks like a book that no one will ever adapt to the cinema. But, when I saw the film I thought: Oh, my God! What a great adaptation of the book. And, besides, I really loved American Beauty. And it has beautiful and hauntingly dark screenplay, intelligent direction and superb performances. I mean, Summer Bishil's performance is one of the most unforgettable ones of the last decade. Some may find it offencive, but you have to have an open mind to watch this. The most sexually explicit and disturbing movie I've ever seen since Stanley Kubrick's 'Eyes Wide Shut'. I correct; since Bernardo Bertolucci's 'The Dreamers'. When you first watch this you feel like gut-punched. But, if you can get over the whole movie, and you have an open mind, you'll enjoy and love it. This is a true masterpiece. I believe that with the direction, with the screenplay and with the performances, this will get more than one Academy Award. Verdict: One of the most daring, talking on a mature sexual way, movies of the last 50 years. Stunningly satirical and darkly and shockingly disturbing. A sexist teenage satire on the style of 'Juno' and 'Ghost World'. A superb drama. Simply, a Great Movie. Quite disturbing, not recommended to people that doesn't have an open criterion. Nothing Is Private. Warner Independent Pictures. 2008. 116 min. UK: No Certificate. US: R. Written for the screen and directed by Alan Ball. Based upon the novel Towelhead by Alicia Erian. Starring: Aaron Eckhart, Peter Macdissi, Summer Bishil, Maria Bello and Toni Collette.

• _kelly .

  
  Alan Ball writes (adapts) and directs. Powerful in capturing the awkward and tumultuous moments of sexual awakening and identity affirmation. Summer Bishil shines in the lead role of Jasira, and Aaron Eckhart is to be commended for taking on this controversial role. The… More
  Alan Ball writes (adapts) and directs. Powerful in capturing the awkward and tumultuous moments of sexual awakening and identity affirmation. Summer Bishil shines in the lead role of Jasira, and Aaron Eckhart is to be commended for taking on this controversial role. The cinematography of suburbia is great and the absurdity of its layout and American flags are exactly how these things exist in reality. I watch a lot of exploitation, so I'm not really shocked by any of the content here. I'm more surprised that it never elevates itself to say "Happiness" or Ball's own "Six Feet Under" levels but hovers in the realm of too serious about itself to be resounding. Overall, the movie is good but never elevates to greatness due to the flat nature of the supporting characters.

• Dean M

  
  This is bruising stuff and unrelentingly uncomfortable, with a good deal of the screen time devoted to a 13-year-old Lebanese-American Jasira being pawed, made to strip, lectured, harassed or raped. I felt sorry for her. The entertainment value is negligible to say the least, and… More
  This is bruising stuff and unrelentingly uncomfortable, with a good deal of the screen time devoted to a 13-year-old Lebanese-American Jasira being pawed, made to strip, lectured, harassed or raped. I felt sorry for her. The entertainment value is negligible to say the least, and there's not the black-comic relief of <i>American Beauty</i>, nor any of its sense of liberation. The performances though are excellent, with Summer Bishil relistic and sympathetic, Aaron Eckhart skin crawling and <i>Six Feet Under</i>'s Peter Macdissi brilliant as the prissy Lebanese patriarch. I was quite happy to see Aussie actress Toni Collette as heavily pregnant neighbourhood woman who takes it upon herself to look out for Jasira, I liked that at the end.

• Lorenzo v

  
  <i>"How Can You Find Yourself if No One Can See You?"</i> A young Arab-American girl struggles with her sexual obsession, a bigoted Army reservist and her strict father during the Gulf War. <b><u>REVIEW</u></b> Alan Ball steps on… More
  <i>"How Can You Find Yourself if No One Can See You?"</i> A young Arab-American girl struggles with her sexual obsession, a bigoted Army reservist and her strict father during the Gulf War. <b><u>REVIEW</u></b> Alan Ball steps on familiar yet virgin territory in more ways than one.An American suburb with the look and feel of a populated desert. American flags and neighboring spirits. Summer Bishil surfs uncannily the waves of her puberty. Innocence and awareness. Curiosity, excitement and fear. She has extraordinary moments as her father played by a superb Peter MacDissi marks and signs his territory with ancestral laws and American longings. A terrifying living contradiction. This time bomb of a man is the most realistic caricature I've ever seen. Played for real with frightening earnestness. There is also Aaron Eckhart who proves, once more, he's one of the most fearless actors around, his performance is as brilliant as it is uncomfortable to watch. I recommend it if you're in the mood for a couple of hours of gasps and nervous laughter.

• Curtis L

  
  I have a soft spot for Aaron Eckhart. Unfortunately he plays a creepy Texan who molests a 13 year old...slightly less charming than his usual stuff. I have nothing bad to say about the movie, but not much to rant about either.

• Nani V

  
  Good movie. Not for everyone...

• Walter M

  
  In "Towelhead," it is 1990 and 13-year old Jasira(Summer Bishil), is sent to live with her father (Peter Macdissi), who works for NASA, in Houston, after a bewildering incident with her mother's(Maria Bello, overacting for once) boyfriend Barry(Chris Messina) and a… More
  In "Towelhead," it is 1990 and 13-year old Jasira(Summer Bishil), is sent to live with her father (Peter Macdissi), who works for NASA, in Houston, after a bewildering incident with her mother's(Maria Bello, overacting for once) boyfriend Barry(Chris Messina) and a razor.(Don't ask. You just have to know that any character named Barry is going to turn out to be at least a little sleazy.) It is there that Jasira winds up being abused by two men. First, it is physically by her father who hits her, monitors her every move and does not allow her to wear a tampon, despite menstruating. Alternatively, he is out of the house for long periods of time with his girlfriend Thena(Lynn Collins). That leaves the door open for their neighbor Travis(Aaron Eckhart), an army reservist. "Towelhead" is a provocative movie with a great cast. If you take away the explicit material(not graphic and nothing is shown, but it is clear what is going on and that is disturbing enough), all you are left with is a movie of the week with a message about the sexual and body images girls are forced to confront as they are growing up. At the same time, the movie attempts to make the viewer complicit in the crimes of its characters. And it goes without saying that anyone who thinks of a 13-year old girl in a sexual way is a sick and twisted person. Outside of that, the charactizerations are paper thin. Jasira's Lebanese heritage is hinted at in a letter to her grandmother but that is quickly forgotten. Her father identifies as Christian and does not live in a traditional manner, despite hypocritically forcing that on his daughter and no other mention of religion is made.(His actions are convenientaly chalked up to ignorance.) He is also in favor of the war and wants Saddam Hussein captured(be careful what you wish for, you might just get it), so as not to court racism. But there is none of the bloodlust and hyperpatriotism that I remember from the First Gulf War, just the racism and name calling which are perpetual. There just has to be more in the way of period detail then Ed O'Neill starring in a sitcom.

• Glenn G

  
  I had heard some pretty bad buzz, but was pleasantly surprised by the audacity of this film. Explores a young teen's sexuality in frank and disturbing ways, never shying away from real feelings. It's a bit of a jumbled mess, but a truly original, surprising filmgoing… More
  I had heard some pretty bad buzz, but was pleasantly surprised by the audacity of this film. Explores a young teen's sexuality in frank and disturbing ways, never shying away from real feelings. It's a bit of a jumbled mess, but a truly original, surprising filmgoing experience.

• Matthew Y

  
  Towelhead is an incredibly emotional and relevant film that was inexplicably overlooked by audiences and bashed by critics. Summer Bishill was incredible as an Arabic adolesent dealing with culture class and womanhood living in suburban America. The film portrays racism, from pretty… More
  Towelhead is an incredibly emotional and relevant film that was inexplicably overlooked by audiences and bashed by critics. Summer Bishill was incredible as an Arabic adolesent dealing with culture class and womanhood living in suburban America. The film portrays racism, from pretty much every possible perspective, and other cultural hot-topics of our time. A completely uncomfortable (in a good way) film to watch that is also an odd indie coming of age tale. With its subject matter, fine performances and great direction from the creator of Six Feet Under, this should have been one of the most buzzed about films from 2008. I'm at a complete loss as to what happened, or rather didn't happen.

• Lesley N

  
  Wow. I don't know how to review this. Just to say Alan Ball is one mean director, and this is a complicated film. Incredibly watchable.

• Andrew F

  
  First-time director Alan Ball's <i>Towelhead</i> isn't the knockout film that was <i>American Beauty</i> (which he wrote), but the difficult subject matter is handled with startling poignancy. The cast is excellent, with stunning performances by Toni… More
  First-time director Alan Ball's <i>Towelhead</i> isn't the knockout film that was <i>American Beauty</i> (which he wrote), but the difficult subject matter is handled with startling poignancy. The cast is excellent, with stunning performances by Toni Collette, Maria Bello, Aaron Eckhart, and Summer Bishil.

• William G

  
  A convincingly acted parade of coming-of-age discomfort.

• Brandon K

  
  So much of it is so uncomfortable, but there are too many layers woven perfectly together to deny its greatness.

• Janice :

  
  Highly enjoyable coming-of-age tale about a young arab-american teenager experiencing, among others, a peculiar sexual awakening. Very provocative, yet too lengthy for my taste. Summer Bishil gives an absolutely breath-taking performance that I will definitely not forget, and that is… More
  Highly enjoyable coming-of-age tale about a young arab-american teenager experiencing, among others, a peculiar sexual awakening. Very provocative, yet too lengthy for my taste. Summer Bishil gives an absolutely breath-taking performance that I will definitely not forget, and that is currently making me anticipate the next film she will have a role in. Worth seeing!

• Robert F

  
  There is hardly a scene that does not produce exquisite discomfort and a strong desire to be somewhere else.

• Richard F

  
  It is one of the rarest feats to create a tale with such starkly pathetic characters that can somehow be darkly humorous and moving at the same time. Aaron Eckhart should be commended for courageously taking on such a controversial role and playing it to a "T". This is… More
  It is one of the rarest feats to create a tale with such starkly pathetic characters that can somehow be darkly humorous and moving at the same time. Aaron Eckhart should be commended for courageously taking on such a controversial role and playing it to a "T". This is really an underrated film, one that packs a big punch.

• Daisy M

  
  Jasira Maroun is 13, physically well developed but naïeve and unable to say no. As puberty arrives, her mother sends her from Syracuse to Houston to her Lebanese-born father. Over the next few months, Jasira must navigate her father's strict indifference, her discovery of sexual… More
  Jasira Maroun is 13, physically well developed but naïeve and unable to say no. As puberty arrives, her mother sends her from Syracuse to Houston to her Lebanese-born father. Over the next few months, Jasira must navigate her father's strict indifference, her discovery of sexual pleasure, the casual racism of a neighbor boy, the sexual advances of the boy's father, the friendship of a pregnant neighbor, and her attraction to Thomas, an African-American classmate whom her father forbids her to see. Things happen to her, but can she take responsibility and control, or is tragedy inevitable? The story is as a young girl begins to experience the reality of life growing up in the suburbs of America. The cast is superb, the young actor, Summer Bishil, is tremendous in her role, and the film and story of a young girl wanting to be accepted for who she is, but instead has to face incidents which would mark a young girl for the rest of her life. <a href="http://s420.photobucket.com/albums/pp286/ladypink_2009/?action=view&current=towelhead1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i420.photobucket.com/albums/pp286/ladypink_2009/towelhead1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a> Summer Bishil is heartbreaking and believable as young Jashira, while Peter Macdissi infuses both a sense of menace and a strangely offbeat humor into the role of her hardnosed father. Toni Collete is the older woman who takes Jasira under her wing, offering her the kind of guidance her actual parents seem unable to provide for her. As the neighbor who seduces Jasira, Aaron Eckhart brings a great deal of courage, to accept one of the trickiest roles imaginable for an actor. Eckhart is obviously secure in the conviction that the audience will be mature enough to see the humanity in his character even while feeling disgust at his actions. ( he has the balls to accept this role). <a href="http://s420.photobucket.com/albums/pp286/ladypink_2009/?action=view&current=towel.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i420.photobucket.com/albums/pp286/ladypink_2009/towel.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a> This film is a great exploration of how parents and adults mess with their children heads, as a graphic portrayal of an adolescents coming to terms with her sexuality. Excellent performances, great script and an overall brilliant film. I love this film. <a href="http://s420.photobucket.com/albums/pp286/ladypink_2009/?action=view&current=towelhead_movie_image_summer_bishil.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i420.photobucket.com/albums/pp286/ladypink_2009/towelhead_movie_image_summer_bishil.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

Read all 20 featured audience ratings