Head On

Wow! I could not have made a better selection with which to begin. This racy 1998 film stars the gorgeous Alex Dimitriades as Ari, a 19 year old Greek - Australian who likens himself unto John Cusak in The Drifters, only gay. His story takes place over a 24 hour adventure of self exploration that will make you proud to be a poofter. Steamy scenes of delicious sexual content, including some hot full-frontal nudity, are interwoven with drugs, gambling, family pressures, drag, and two realistic back-alley sex scenes that earn the line "You've got a sweet mouth"; however, there is more to this movie than meets the eye...candy.

Along with the reality of growing up in a Greek family, Head On confronts the truth about the disillusionment of the 90s. In fact Ari's first line, "They say God is dead, but man, they still expect you to have a purpose", could have been used to sum up the entire decade preceding the new millennium. In a way this movie takes me back to a time when it was almost fashionable to be a jobless, drug addicted, slut looking for a reason to exist when all anyone really wanted was a revolution for freedom from self-oppression. Was that just the 90s? Drugs, at least the use of certain drugs, seem to have become increasingly acceptable practice in various circles much like cigarettes and brandy in the early part of the 20th Century. What about sex? The word homosexual contains the word sex, and in looking for common threads I suppose that sex is the most obvious one. It is a fair assumption that the male libido is a voracious one, especially at the age of 19. Indeed, so is Ari's, as you will see in this film's hot and heady plot.

Many of us can relate to Ari's experiences. What a grand time it was to be a virile young man, smoking, snorting, and buggering everything that came along. Besides, we all hop off the fashion train eventually. At that age, one should enjoy life while he can, and with all of the reckless abandon that comes with youth. Looking back on what I just wrote, I can't help but wonder who out there is reading this and thinking, Damn! It's no wonder AIDS is an epidemic, and I am lucky to have squeezed by unscathed. Is that sort of wild, wanton sexuality a common thread we share? Does that define or stereotype certain gay men, all gay men? Like the protagonist of this film, we are all exploring life for something more as if we know it is there despite our human doubt. That includes the decadent feasting and temporary satysfaction that flesh has to offer...especially flesh.

In Head On, Ari's self destructiveness becomes his salvation in the final realization that "I am a sailor, and I am a whore, and I will be until the end of the world." An awesome soundtrack of Greek and club music provides the perfect background element, leading to a climactic nightclub scene that sent me back to the golden days of Backstreet Atlanta. This is an AWESOME movie and I highly recommend it to all of you.

Happy Endings,

Matthew