Head On

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Head On

1998,

1h 44m,

Drama/

LGBTQ+

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Watchlist

Watchlist

60%

20 Reviews

Tomatometer

67%

2,500+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

60%

Tomatometer

20 Reviews

67%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

Ari (Alex Dimitriades), the son of two Greek immigrants, is an alienated teenager who lives in Melbourne, Australia. He spends his time seeking out cheap thrills, and, over the course of one day, he dives into a bottomless pit of hedonism. He sleeps with a few men he meets, he sleeps with his friend Betty (Elena Mandalis), he takes drugs, he sells drugs, and he rages against society. Ari seems numb to life until he and his best friend (Paul Capsis) have a violent run-in with the cops.

Critics Consensus

Head On's narrative rambles at times, but its raw, sensual approach creates a powerful, resonant rumination on identity.

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Andrea Gronvall

Chicago Reader

Apr 1, 2010

Director Ana Kokkinos has an eye for local color but spends little time developing the supporting characters.

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Desson Thomson

Washington Post

Feb 24, 2005

In a way, the film is a kissing cousin to the 1960s kitchen sink dramas of the British cinema and the working-class angst of German director Rainer Werner Fassbinder.

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Kevin Thomas

Los Angeles Times

Feb 7, 2001

Anyone of any generation who has ever felt at odds with his or her environment can identify with the characters in Head On.

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Jeremy Kinser

The Advocate

Apr 19, 2022

Dimitriades gives an impassioned performance, but the sleaze quickly grows monotonous.

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David Ehrenstein

New Times

Oct 3, 2017

... the movie demonstrates just how hard coming out can be, especially for those more at war with themselves than with the culture around them.

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Caffeinated Clint

Film Threat

May 6, 2005

2/5

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Leia S

Feb 11, 2019

A Greek Australian man struggles with his sexual identity and has several homosexual encounters, takes drugs and rages against society. Alex Dimitriades shows some performance skills that are truly underrated. The movie delves too much into social realism and makes it a bit unbelievable. Someone can't suffer so many bad things in just a couple of days and the main character is not even likeable or relatable... I just hated him so much at the end, but it is evidence of what a broken soul is capable of doing.

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Rey S

Jun 17, 2017

Bastante cliche pero con una mezcla explosiva de otros problemas sociales y raciales. Muy buena actuacion.

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Ana Kokkinos

Director

Alex Dimitriades

Ari

Paul Capsis

Johnny

Julian Garner

Sean

Tony Nikolakopoulos

Dimitri

Elena Mandalis

Betty

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Synopsis

Ari (Alex Dimitriades), the son of two Greek immigrants, is an alienated teenager who lives in Melbourne, Australia. He spends his time seeking out cheap thrills, and, over the course of one day, he dives into a bottomless pit of hedonism. He sleeps with a few men he meets, he sleeps with his friend Betty (Elena Mandalis), he takes drugs, he sells drugs, and he rages against society. Ari seems numb to life until he and his best friend (Paul Capsis) have a violent run-in with the cops.

Director: Ana Kokkinos
Producer: Jane Scott
Screenwriter: Andrew Bovell, Ana Kokkinos, Mira Robertson
Genre: Drama, LGBTQ+
Original Language: Australian English
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 10, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $378.7K
Runtime: 1h 44m

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