TOWELHEAD

RYAN: Two of our all-time favorite actors, Toni Collette and Aaron Eckhart, co-star in a riveting new film, “Towelhead.”

CAROLINE: I knew very little about this movie prior to seeing it, though I’d heard it was a hit at Sundance and that it was about a Middle Eastern girl living in America. What I did not know was that it was about her sexual awakening and her menstrual cycle.

RYAN: Exactly. I could have done without the menstruating, but I really liked the movie. It’s written, directed and produced by Alan Ball, the creator of TV’s “Six Feet Under,” and he did an excellent job.

CAROLINE: It’s quite a departure from “American Beauty,” the movie that won him an Oscar for Best Screenplay. It’s his directorial debut, and it brings up issues of burgeoning sexuality, but surprisingly little gay stuff. Alan Ball is usually big on that.

RYAN: Very little gay stuff, or none actually. But like “American Beauty,” it does feature some May-December sexual tension. The lead girl Jasira, played by Summer Bishil, is absolutely gorgeous and a really good actress. She’s this film’s Mena Suvari, and she really works it out.

CAROLINE: She’s amazing, but some of her scenes are so racy and explicit that I couldn’t believe what I was watching. She’s only 13 in the film, and I kept thinking, “Please tell me this actress is over 17!” because it would be illegal for her to do what’s she’s doing. And of course, she is. I looked it up on IMDB.

RYAN: Let us not forget how old Kirsten Dunst was when she made out with Brad Pitt in “Interview with a Vampire.” She was like 11 or something, so it was conceivable that this actress was underage.

CAROLINE: Yes, but the stuff she had to do was so much more graphic. The supporting cast in this film is amazing. In addition to Toni Collette and Aaron Eckhart, there’s Maria Bello who’s so much better than she was in the “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor,” thank God. And Jasira’s father, as played by Peter Macdissi, just might be the biggest assh#@% I’ve ever encountered on screen.

RYAN: He’s almost a villain; not that the mom is much better. You really feel for this young girl. Thank God for Toni Collette, who’s very pregnant and comes to her aid. She’s brilliant in everything she does. Aaron Eckhart is looking gorgeous as usual, but as the film progressed, I started to find him less and less attractive because of his character.

CAROLINE: It’s just such a heavy movie, which isn’t to say that I didn’t enjoy it. I just so wasn’t expecting it to be as dark and dramatic as it was. We almost started laughing at the end because it was like, “How many more awful things can happen to this little girl?” Not that anyone dies or anything; it’s more about teen angst and adult situations that a teenager shouldn’t be privy to.

RYAN: It definitely covers taboo subjects like racism and unhappy marriages and overall suburban drama.

CAROLINE: It takes place during the George Bush Sr. administration and I loved all the late 80s/early 90s tunes from Edie Brickell, Fine Young Cannibals and The Sundays.

RYAN: Bottom line?

CAROLINE: It’s a very small, artsy movie that covers a lot of ground. I liked it and though it might be a touch too long, I was pretty engrossed. I loved Toni Collette and her husband; they really turn out to be the heroes of the film.

RYAN: It’s not a must see on the big screen because it doesn’t have that kind of scope, but I highly, highly recommend it. The intensity really draws you in and makes you forget who you are and where you are, and you just get drawn into the life of this girl. The film is expertly made and if you can handle the drama, you’ll love it.

CAROLINE: The only thing that bugged me was how self-aware Jasira was. No 13-year-old girl is that straightforward and honest about orgasms and menstruation. She’d be hiding her face in shame, not talking openly about it.

RYAN: You’d know more about such things than I would.