Pariah

My stepmother and I went to a free screening of this movie at the Angelika Theater. I didn't know what to expect except that I knew the girl was a lesbian.

This flick features TRULY gifted and believable actors...from the main character, Alike, and her pains and trials, to her young sister in high school and the parents...OMGSH, the parents...and her friend Laura was incredible too. The characters are juicy and rounded; you find yourself truly interested in the people they're portraying to be, and in how they feel. It's almost like you come to know them.

Here, folks, is what to expect from the movie Pariah: this is an emotional film. It's got a lot of humor and heart, and it's got sadness and pain, too. We all remember growing up and trying to find out who we are and what we are attracted to; Pariah will remind you of what that felt like. You will emote as they do and be drawn in to the story right out of the box.

Trust me...this is a movie you do NOT want to miss. Two thumbs WAY UP! :)

Pariah (2011)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

A 17-year-old Brooklyn teenager (Adepero Oduye) must try and deal with her changing sexual feelings as well as deal with her parents (Charles Parnell, Kim Wayans) who can't fully see that she's beginning to have lesbian feelings for another local teen. I'm sure PARIAH was someone inspired by PRECIOUS, another film dealing with a black teen trying to come to terms with their own lifestyle as well as the troubled relationship with a parent. This film here comes from director Dee Rees and she does an incredibly strong job bringing it to the screen. While the film isn't quite as powerful as PRECIOUS there's no question that it's extremely raw and almost feels like a documentary because of how fresh and frank it is. I thought a lot of the success falls into the lap of Oduye who does a remarkable job as the teenager. Again, she doesn't come off as a professional actress but instead she just comes across so real. The frankness of her situation is perfectly handled by the actress and I really thought she did a great job at showing the troubled feelings of this character. Wayans is also very powerful as the mother who wants her daughter to be "good" or whatever good is to her eyes. Parnell easily steals the film as the father in a very memorable role and performance. At just 84-minutes the film doesn't overstay its welcome and for the most part it never comes off the tracks. It's not a pretty film to watch as I'm sure the subject matter will turn some off but those who decide to watch it will be rewarded with some great performances and direction.

Such a shame this is so criminally under-seen. What frustrates me the most is this could have and should have been seen by more people. Focus Features really messed up the release of this one. If handled better I could have seen newcomer Adepero Oduye's acclaimed performance as Alike earning her an Academy Award nomination. She's wonderful in the lead role. Even comedy actress (and sister to the Wayans brothers) Kim Wayans may have scored a Supporting Actress nomination for her serious turn as Alike's misguided mother. She makes the transition from comedy to a serious role amazingly well (not unlike Mo'Nique's turn in Precious, though I prefer this less showy role to hers).

I highly recommend seeking this out. It's a great drama with a star-making performance by Adepero Oduye.

There are three things, Dee Rees told the audience of the 2011 Out In Africa South African Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, that they shouldn't say in a pitch: "black", "lesbian" and "coming of age"; a true but problematic piece of advice. To suggest that a film about a young girl coming out is not just a gay film is equally awkward as it implies that the label is a negative one, which is only true if instant box-office and mass-appeal is an absolute priority. It's just that, in one way or another, the message should be conveyed that Rees's debut feature Pariah is a film about the essence of being.

Alike (Adepero Oduye) is a teenage Brooklyn girl who is struggling to live up to her mother's expectations while trying to figure out who she is. Certain about her sexual orientation, she's insecure about where she fits in as a young lesbian woman and a budding writer in search of her authentic voice. While the local gay club is offering some respite, she finds it difficult to identify both with the studs who throw money at strippers, and the femmes waiting to be picked up by the likes of her close friend Laura (Pernell Walker). And caught up between a controlling, disappointed and worried mother (Kim Wayans) and a disillusioned, tired and caring father (Charles Parnell), Alike, just like her parents and sister (Sahra Mellesse), is stuck in a suffocating web of lies that is keeping the fragile family unit from imploding, while preventing the family members from becoming all that they could be.

Dee Rees and her phenomenal cast don't shy away from complexity and contradiction. Too courageous and curious to surrender to stereotyping, and in possession of the sensibility and wisdom required to capture not just the extraordinary, Rees relies on nuance and small gestures to convey the fears of Alike's father, the archetypal man who is as gentle, loving and sensitive as he is dominating, as well as the qualms of her mother, who with piercing eyes and a sharp tongue observes and comments on Alike's journey.

"Who I am will always be part of my work." says Dee Rees, who hopes that one day her sexual orientation will be the premise of her stories, rather than the story. Pariah relates to blackness exactly like that; as a premise and not a defining condition and problem to be overcome, which is far from the only reason why Pariah is such an engaging and unique piece of well-written, well-directed and well-acted storytelling. One that speaks to anyone aspiring to or dreaming of reaching their full potential as human beings.

This and other movie reviews to be found on the blog "In the Words of Katarina"

This movie turned out to be pretty good. Quality black dramas are so rare and this one definitely didn't disappoint. The script was well executed and the scenes seemed to piece together like falling dominoes, rather than a jigsaw puzzle with numerous elements missing. Alike is the main character who struggles with being what she considers her true self. Her domineering mother and the opinions of society causes her to repress who she is, a gay female who enjoys dressing like a guy. The agony of not being able to express her true self shows throughout her body language and face and I thought that was pretty good acting. Alike's mother specifically represented society who represses people's right to freedom through rules and moral codes. Alike's father is clearly having an affair but the mother struggles to ignore it, wanting to maintain her made up happy life. Her choice of ignorance symbolizes society's quest to ignore the realities, of what's truly real about people. The pacing and execution of this film reminded me of something Spike Lee would do.