Head On (Sunburnt Screens #12)

Ari (Alex Dimitriades in a career-defining role) is a nineteen-year-old rebel who despises his Greek parents for falling victim to the strictures of tradition. Confused with his own part in the complex universe and unable to express his true feelings, Ari becomes obsessed with extremes of behaviour – gay sex, drugs, night-clubbing and a farrago of hedonistic activities. Wired and defiant, mixing pain and joy as one, Ari's destiny is aimed head on into one high velocity night of dancing, sex and drugs.

Ana Kokkinos' bold and confronting adaptation of author Christos Tsiolkas' (THE SLAP) debut novel Loaded, Head On is a controversial drama about a young man coming to terms with his identity and rebelling against the constraints of family tradition in a roller coaster ride of emotion and turmoil. Nominated for 9 AFI Awards, including Best Film, Best Director (Ana Kokkinos), Best Actor (Alex Dimitriades), Actor in a Supporting Role (Paul Capsis) and Winner of Best Editing.

Critic Reviews:

• " Its frank portrayal of gay life is a refreshing foil to the watered-down examples of queer cinema we've seen of late. " – Rod Armstrong (Reel.com)

• " … the movie demonstrates just how hard coming out can be, especially for those more at war with themselves than with the culture around them. " – David Ehrenstein (New Times)

• " Anyone of any generation who has ever felt at odds with his or her environment can identify with the characters in Head On. " – Kevin Thomas (Los Angeles Times)