Posted: Sunday 24th August 2008

Ari (Alex Dimitriades) is a 19-year old looking for meaning in his life. Raised by traditional Greek parents, Ari can't find enthusiasm for his family or his Greek roots and is struggling with his sexual identity. Knowing he can't turn to his family, Ari chooses the hedonistic lifestyle of drugs, clubbing and sex as he tries to discover his true self. Along with transgender friend Johnny (Paul Capsis), Ari is about to embark a night that will change his life forever and help him face his true identity.

Head On is based on the book Loaded written by Christos Tsiolkas. On its original theatrical release the movie caused controversy due to its explicit sex scenes and nudity. In the opening 10 minutes of the movie we see Ari pleasuring himself on a sofa with little left to the imagination. The controversy aside, Head On is actually a great film and one of the best gay interest films to be released in the last decade.

The exploration of Ari and his sexuality is tackled in a refreshing way. He isn't a weak character and he doesn't have to rally his friends to help him through. For Ari, having sex with men is something he enjoys and is part of his life and at the beginning of the film he doesn't give much thought to it. Once he meets Sean (Julian Garner) all that changes and for the first time he starts to deal with his homosexual tendencies. Over the course of the evening Ari experiences a rollercoaster ride and by the end of the movie he is coping with life much better than he did at the beginning.

Alex Dimitriades is truly astounding as Ari. Without him it's hard to imagine Head On being as powerful a movie. His performance eradicates the memory of Heartbreak High and showcases him as a talented and versatile young actor. He gets under Ari's skin and explores every facet of his personality. At times his performance is intense yet he still maintains a vulnerability that refuses to allow the audience to dislike him. Although you don't condone the majority of the activities that Ari gets up to, you can understand why he is behaving the way he is. The pressures from his Greek parents don't allow from him to live his life in such a wreckless way. Why Dimitriades' career didn't take on in spectacular style after this is a mystery.

Extras on this special edition include a cast reunion documentary, an audio commentary with director Ana Kokkinos and star Alex Dimitriades, interviews, trailers, a gallery and a music video.

Head On: Special Edition is a welcome invitation to revisit a classic movie. If you've never seen it before then go out and buy it; for Alex Dimitriades' performance if nothing else. It's refreshing to watch a gay movie that isn't patronising, clichéd or just pornographic. Head On not only gives you Alex Dimitriades in the buff, but it gives you something to think about. Now stop reading what we think and go and buy the movie!