Head On review

Why you can trust GamesRadar+ Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about our reviews policy.

As its title suggests, Ana Kokkinos' debut sets out to confront its audience. A surprise hit at the Australian box office, this rites-of-passage story charts 24 turbulent hours in the life a young Greek-Australian in Melbourne. Ari (Dimitriades) is 19, unemployed and living at home with his immigrant parents. Naturally they want him to marry a good Greek girl, settle down, and forge a career. But Ari is too busy living for the hedonistic moment - - he's out dancing, popping pills and picking up men for rough sex.

A slab of urgent, low-budget film-making, Head On features a compelling performance from the strikingly handsome Dimitriades. Commendably uncompromising in its depiction of the central character's often brutal sexuality, it also lays bare the racial prejudices bedevilling Australian society, building to a powerful end-note of aggressive defiance rather than simplistic optimism.

The Total Film team are made up of the finest minds in all of film journalism. They are: Editor Jane Crowther, Deputy Editor Matt Maytum, Reviews Ed Matthew Leyland, News Editor Jordan Farley, and Online Editor Emily Murray. Expect exclusive news, reviews, features, and more from the team behind the smarter movie magazine. 

Latest in Documentaries
The Wolf of Wall Street
The 32 greatest Leonardo DiCaprio movies
Grand Theft Hamlet
Video game theater reaches the next level in Grand Theft Hamlet, a GTA Online Shakespeare production where even the director can be killed
Hammer Films - The Heroes, Legends And Monsters
Late Star Wars actor Peter Cushing being brought back by AI for new documentary
The Life and Deaths of Christopher Lee
The Life and Deaths of Christopher Lee review: "A revealing exploration of a big screen icon"
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story (2024)
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story review – "A moving portrait of a true-life hero"
The Remarkable Life of Ibelin | Official Trailer | Netflix
New Netflix documentary about a terminally ill player’s devotion to World of Warcraft gets touching first trailer showing the power of online community
Latest in Reviews
HeroQuest box, models, tokens, board, and cards on a wooden table
HeroQuest review: "The grandaddy of dungeon crawlers"
A reviewer turning the modules of the Turtle Beach Stealth Pivot
Turtle Beach Stealth Pivot review: “Its novel concept of a spinning, modular design is hamstrung by its lack of options”
Razer USB 4 Dock in silver on a wooden desk
Razer USB 4 Dock review: "solid, reliable, and surprisingly well-priced"
Lenovo Legion Go S with FlyKnight gameplay on screen featuring player character holding bow and arrow with enemy ant in backdrop.
Lenovo Legion Go S Windows 11 review: “my heart aches for this mixed up handheld”
Talisman 5th Edition game components
Talisman 5th Edition review: "The characterful imperfections of the original game remain clear to see "
WWE 2K25
WWE 2K25 review: "A colossal package even if you never go anywhere near Virtual Currency"