Nothing Is Private (2007)

Director:

Alan Ball

Writers (WGA):

Alan Ball (screenplay)
Alicia Erian (novel)

Release Date:

26 September 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

How Can You Find Yourself if No One Can See You?

Plot:

A young Arab-American girl struggles with her sexual obsession, a bigoted Army reservist and her strict father during the Gulf War.

Plot Keywords:

Neighbor | Gulf War | 1991 | Strict Father | Boyfriend

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Summer Bishil	...	Jasira Maroun
Chris Messina	...	Barry
Maria Bello	...	Gail Monahan
Peter Macdissi	...	Rifat Maroun (as Peter MacDissi)
Gemmenne de la Peña	...	Denise
Robert Baker	...	Mr. Joffrey
Eamonn Roche	...	School Photographer
Aaron Eckhart	...	Travis Vuoso
Carrie Preston	...	Evelyn Vuoso
Chase Ellison	...	Zack Vuoso
Irina Voronina	...	"Snow Queen" Centerfold
Cleo King	...	Sales Clerk
Michael McShae	...	Middle School Jerk #1
D.C. Cody	...	Middle School Jerk #2
Soledad St. Hilaire	...	Janitor

Also Known As:

Towelhead (Australia) (USA) (new title)
Untitled Alan Ball Project (USA) (working title)
Niente velo per Jasira (Italy) [it]
Taboo (Greece) (DVD title) [el]
Tabu (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Towelhead (Finland) (DVD title) [fi]
Towelhead (Denmark) [da]

MPAA:

Rated R for strong disturbing sexual content and abuse involving a young teen, and for language.

Runtime:

USA:124 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French | Arabic | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:R | Australia:MA | Norway:15 | South Korea:18 | New Zealand:R18 | Netherlands:12 | USA:NC-17 (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Chino, California, USA

Company:

Indian Paintbrush

Trivia:

Actress Summer Bishil turned 18 before filming started, allowing her to play the 13 year old, sexually overactive Jasira without any restrictions as to what she could do or show in the movie.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Melina tells Jasira that an adult having sex with someone under the age of 16 is considered statutory rape. In Texas, however, that age is 17.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Barry: You're beautiful just the way you are, Jasira. Those other girls are just jealous because you're growing up faster than they are. And you're prettier than they are. Listen, don't let it get you down. Stupid names they're calling you. This year - just gimme a second
[wets the razor]
Barry: this year, your gonna shut them up. Only, probably you shouldn't tell your mom about this.

Movie Connections:

Features "Married with Children" (1987)

Soundtrack:

She Drives Me Crazy

Great Film

The screenplay was adapted by Ball from the novel Towelhead by Alicia Erian, and is set in Texas in 1991, during the first gulf war. It follows thirteen year old Jasira as she bounces between her abusive and uncaring mother and her pedophile neighbor, to an abusive father, and a horny boyfriend.

This is uncomfortable, heavy material, but a streak of dark comedy and the compelling performance of Summer Bishil pulls the audience through. This should have "Best Ensemble" locked up at the SAG Awards next year. I'll tell you now to look for Macdissi to pick up an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting and possibly Eckhart as well. But the real story here is Summer Bishil.It's one of those performances that is so subtle and complex, that it leaves you asking for more. This deserves not only an nomination but the Oscar itself.

Even though some of the antagonists in NOTHING IS PRIVATE do some pretty despicable things, most are fully realized, complicated characters. In fact, nearly every character has some kind of baggage, though some have flaws that lead to more serious consequences than others.

So far at TIFF, I think I've seen most of the candidates for best picture, and I have to say that NOTHING IS PRIVATE is the front-runner in my mind. It may be a tough sell in the heartland to have a judging finger pointed straight back at yourself, but sometimes deep down we all realize we need it. That kind of thing goes over like gangbusters in the Hollywood Oscar-voting set. But most importantly, NOTHING IS PRIVATE is American film-making at its finest.