"B" Rating by Robert W. Hammerle

As I was leaving the Landmark Art Cinema at Keystone at the Crossing, I was stopped by one of the young female employees and the following conversation ensued.

Female Employee: "So, what did you see?" Hammerle: "Towelhead." Female Employee: "Well, what did you think?" Hammerle: "Well, I thought it was . . . . . interesting." Female Employee: "That's exactly what most people are saying."

I point this conversation out only to reinforce the fact that "interesting" is the only accurate way to describe "Towelhead." First of all, it's interesting because it is the most profoundly uncomfortable movie I have ever sat through in my life. How else can you describe a film that literally begins with a 13-year-old girl, played with a beguiling sense of vulnerability by newcomer Summer Bishil, having her pubic area shaved by her mother's predatory boyfriend? That was only an inkling of the disaster that was to follow!

"Towelhead" doesn't so much entertain as it enlightens and educates. It forces the audience to confront ugly topics that we normally go to the theater to escape.

Ms. Bishil plays a 13-year-old American citizen whose father is Lebanese and mother is American. Forced to confront her confused reaction to her own budding sexuality, her mother, a self-centered woman courageously played by Maria Bello, forces her to go live with her divorced father.

Her father, played by Peter Macdissi, is a strict disciplinarian who in reality does little more than verbally abuse young Ms. Bishil. As a result, she withdraws even more into her own world of sexual fantasies.

And it is at that time that she is exploited sexually by her married next-door neighbor, Travis Vuoso, played to slimy perfection by Aaron Eckhart. In a stunning performance, Mr. Eckhart personifies a self-loathing sexual predator who is all but uncontrollably titillated by his sexual attraction to Ms. Bishil.

As I said, it's an extraordinarily difficult movie to watch. For the first two-thirds of this film, Ms. Bishil is exploited and abused in every manner possible. She is dismissed with such epithets as "towelhead" and "sand ni_ _ er" by Eckhart's son as well as various students at school. As her father's anger increases, she finds herself compromised by Mr. Eckhart in a manner that she dislikes but can't avoid.

It clearly took a great deal of courage for director and writer Alan Ball to make this movie with the clear realization that it dealt with themes that were never destined to attract a wide audience. However, having spent over 30 years as a criminal defense attorney, I can safely say that you will never get a more accurate depiction of the world of a sexual predator than this one.

Eckhart is quickly establishing himself as one of the more versatile actors in Hollywood. Excusing his appearance in the regrettable "The Black Dahlia" (2006), his sharp and understated role in the thoroughly enjoyable "Thank You For Not Smoking" (2005) was quite winning. In addition, his performance as the chef who Catherine Zeta-Jones both loved and hated allowed "No Reservations" (2007) to rise above its rather limited material. And of course there was his performance in this year's colossal hit "The Dark Knight," which contributed significantly to that film's success.

Eckhart's brave performance in "Towelhead" revealed a loathsome predator who nonetheless was genuinely vulnerable. While these guys do condemnable things, frequently they condemn themselves more than the general public could. For whatever reason, Eckhart literally can't help himself, and you can't help but feel a bit of sympathy for him in the end.

What is further remarkable about this film is that the only truly decent people in it were played by the always-wonderful Toni Collette and Matt Letscher II. They played Ms. Bishil's married neighbors who clearly saw what was going on between her and Mr. Eckhart. A woman 8 months pregnant, Ms. Collette wants to protect Ms. Bishil, and forcibly intrudes to allow her home to become a safe haven. Without qualification she is one of the most underrated actresses working today.

Let me close by saying that the last third of "Towelhead" is the emotional strength of this film. As the various protagonists are forced to confront their own wretched cluelessness concerning a young girl's vulnerability, they arise from their own ashes to provide a measure of comfort to Ms. Bishil. This movie ended on a hopeful note, reminding us that we all need to persevere in a life that frequently is as unfair as Ms. Bishil found it.