congratulations to kate winslet for defying the odds , by choosing to play the lead role in the small , but beautiful hideous kinky as a follow-up to her oscar nominated turn in titanic , the highest grossing and most expensive film of all time . but was this really such a surprise ? not at all , once you look at the wide range of films that the british actress appeared in before titanic . she showed incredible talent at a young age in such films as jude , heavenly creatures and sense and sensibility ( for which she recieved her first oscar nomination ) . her latest , hideous kinky , is an exotic odyssey that is much more than a star vehicle . hideous kinky is not a plot driven movie , but it tells the tale of a hippie named julia ( kate winslet ) who has brought her two young girls ( bella riza and carrie mullan ) to morocco to find peace , love , and faith in the early 70's . while in london , the children's father thrives as a poet , julia has no money . it is then that she meets bilal ( said taghmaoui ) , a moroccan ex-con who is hiding from his past . he wins the affection of julia and her children and he becomes like a father to them . bilal seems to be a nice man , but he often vanishes at times when he is needed . for all the wonder of hideous kinky , the real pleasure comes from watching the two little girls onscreen . they both run around screaming wild phrases like " hideous kinky ! " and each character is a presence on her own . it is rare for children to dominate a film , especially when matched up against kate winslet , who gives one of her better performances . hideous kinky reminded me a little of this year's a walk on the moon , because both are similar tales of a woman trying to find herself during the same time period . hideous kinky's wondrous soundtrack combines moroccan music with 60's hits , and john de borman's luscious cinematography makes the film what it is . director gillies mackinnon ( regeneration , a simple twist of fate ) has crafted a spritual gem , scripted by brother billy . mackinnon lets kate winslet show depth unseen in titanic , and he shows a talent for working with young actors . as for the film's title ; it's a bit misleading , and i still haven't figured out what it means . but hideous kinky is an independent film that takes us to places we've never been . a review by akiva gottlieb , the teenage movie critic <a href= " mailto : akiva@excite . com " >akiva@excite . com</a> <a href= " http : //www . angelfire . com/mo/film " >http : //www . angelfire . com/mo/film</a> watch me on tbs' " dinner and a movie " may 21 , 8 : 05pm est <hr>get your free , private email at <a href= " http : //mail . excite . com/ " >http : //mail . excite . com/</a> 
