After getting thoroughly discouraged by the (lack of) quality of films that hit the gay circuit/film fests, this one reaffirmed my faith that a film can include gay subject matter and shed light on the human condition without compromising artistic vision. GLAAD's bevvy of media Nazi's hasn't completely destroyed cinema, but you do have to look outside the US to find it. Of course, the fact that it's a straight woman from Australia that directed this gem should surprise no one. In fact, it seems that the only good films that include homo themes are made outside the US. Most US films on this circuit are made & consumed by bourgeois gay men, for whom the ideal life & dramatic interest is replaying "The Big Chill" but with a gay twist (the straight version wasn't any good, why would a gay one be worthwhile?). Head On succeeds because it presents its subject matter (the pain & difficulty in dealing with one's sexuality as an ethnic minority) honestly. In spite of the existence of many social & political organizations, the gay "community" (a misnomer if there ever was one) is hardly a welcome wagon for ethnic minorities, suffering the consequences of racism, economic disenfranchisement, etc. Let's face it, gay men spend more time in bars & seeking casual sex than they do in helping someone find a job or housing, so any comments that this portrayal is "negative" are clearly missing the point of the film.
In spite of the development of many organizations in this day & age, men have become sexual objects more than ever before (moreso for ethnic minorities who are often fetishisized for their ethnicity). This makes Ari's character quite appropriate. The world of gay running clubs & PFLAG meetings are just as invisible to Ari as he is to them (except of course if he were to take his shirt off).
He bounces back & forth between the world of johns & drag queens/drugs with the world of his family........neither of which he finds comforting. In such a scenario, sex is more of a release of frustration or an attempt at bonding which was doomed before it started. He blows the one chance he has to change this precisely because he never had the tools/experience to handle a relationship. Though the film is emotionally draining (not necessarily a bad feature), it is true to its subject. Anyone who denies this is not being truthful to themselves.
In spite of the development of many organizations in this day & age, men have become sexual objects more than ever before (moreso for ethnic minorities who are often fetishisized for their ethnicity). This makes Ari's character quite appropriate. The world of gay running clubs & PFLAG meetings are just as invisible to Ari as he is to them (except of course if he were to take his shirt off).
He bounces back & forth between the world of johns & drag queens/drugs with the world of his family........neither of which he finds comforting. In such a scenario, sex is more of a release of frustration or an attempt at bonding which was doomed before it started. He blows the one chance he has to change this precisely because he never had the tools/experience to handle a relationship. Though the film is emotionally draining (not necessarily a bad feature), it is true to its subject. Anyone who denies this is not being truthful to themselves.