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Pariah
A Brooklyn teenager juggles conflicting identities and risks friendship, heartbreak, and family in a desperate search for sexual expression.
Release : | 2011 |
Rating : | 7.2 |
Studio : | Focus Features, Sundial Pictures, NorthStar Pictures, |
Crew : | Art Direction, Assistant Property Master, |
Cast : | Adepero Oduye Pernell Walker Aasha Davis Charles Parnell Sahra Mellesse |
Genre : | Drama |
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I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much
The Worst Film Ever
I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.
It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,
Quite simply: You have a 17 year old Brooklyn Teenager struggling to find herself (in a world around her full of labels).The Journey she takes is compelling and the performances are stellar, true and heartfelt (Kim Wayans performance is a huge surprise). It is very rare that such a complex and moving film can so deeply affect you, yet maintain such an up close and personal relationship (between all the characters) and that's why (along with the performances) this Film works! Without any extra hyperbole, this is , quite simply, one of the Best Films of the last 10 years!
A difficult subject for most families and the Black Community has it really tough. This is a coming of gay age movie, packs a punch. The movie opens with tough rap lyrics and with the uncomfortableness of that you are transported into what Alike feels, unsure. Alike knows she is, but is a virgin, and at the point we meet her she wants more than just knowing, she wants a relationship. Her best friend, out and rejected by her own mother (and Alike's mother), she tries to help Alike navigate this landscape. The movie introduces us to characters we've not seen before. Alike's father, Arthur (brilliantly played by Charles Parnell), in this unhappy marriage, must provide for the daughters he loves and the wife he hates. He wrestles knowing there is something is not right with Alike. He makes his choice to love her. Audrey (Kim Wayans), Alike's mother, struggles because she knows, but doesn't want to know. Her disgust of the lifestyle cannot be condoned or tolerated. Kim Wayans, captures this Black mother at her worst, she is raw, sad, and we can even empathize with her. Her decision in the end without compromise, her daughter is a stranger to her who she will pray for. Adepero Oduye as Alike, is vulnerable, open, sad, and in the end POWERFUL. She makes a choice and is willing to live with that choice. When Alike tells her father "I am not running, I am choosing", sums it all up. Choose to live, with who and what you are.
This is a tough little movie. Admittedly, a lot of people will be put off by the subject matter. They may not have even chosen to watch it, like I almost did, because of the synopsis which calls this a film about a "teenager's desperate search for sexual expression". My first thought was, "haven't we seen this a million times before." But I gave it a chance and I'm quite glad that I did.At the beginning of the film, I thought I might have made a mistake. The opening sequence of the movie, and especially the lyrics of the song that is playing, reminded me of those movies made for teenage boys that begin with some sex scene to get them to pay attention to the rest of the film. Had I directed it, I would have lured the viewer in more carefully. However, maybe the director wanted to confront the viewer up front. I think this, combined with the synopsis, was simply bad marketing.Anyway, if you hang in there and stay with it, the film pays off in the end. This is not a film about lesbianism or the trials of urban black families. This is a film about everyone. It is a film about being different from those around you. It just happens that this difference is lesbianism and this setting is a black community. Two distinct aspects of individualism are focused on here. The first is on that which makes each person unique, while the second is on that which keeps each person self-absorbed. Everyone in this film wants appreciation, understanding, and attention, yet, they are unable to see these needs in others.The acting is superb. I could find no shortcomings in any of the actors. The relationships were believable, the characters, sympathetic, the storyline, strong. So, overlook the synopsis and the opening scenes and you will not be disappointed in this film. You may even wonder why it didn't receive more awards than it did.
'Pariah' is the feature length expansion of a short film created by Dee Rees, presented at the Sundance Festival in 2007. It's basically a coming of age story focusing on a middle-class, black Lesbian teenager, Alike, played by Adepero Oduye. The title 'Pariah', is a bit of a strong epithet to describe Alike's situation, as she's mainly an outcast in the eyes of her mother Audrey (Kim Wayans), a devout Christian, who can't stomach the idea that her daughter is not really interested in men.'Pariah' is uniformly well-acted with a slow-moving plot that holds few surprises. In fact, take away the black middle-class environment and you'd be left with pretty much your ordinary 'coming out' tale of a conflicted gay teenager. All the stock characters are there including the 'villain' of the piece, the aforementioned intolerant mother as well as the more sympathetic police detective father, Arthur, who's not crazy about his daughter's choice of sexual orientation but still holds a special place in his heart for 'daddy's girl'. Also in the mix is Alike's best friend, Laura, who enjoys hanging out at 'rough' Lesbian clubs but eventually decides to get her GED. While Alike still enjoys a bond with one parent, Laura is not on speaking terms with her mother, who shows no interest when Laura rings her doorbell and informs her that she's passed her GED.Eventually, Alike's Mom introduces her to Bina, the daughter of one of her colleagues at work (strikingly played by Aasha Davis). The Mom finds Bina much more acceptable since she comes from a more upper class environment than what she regards as the lower class world Laura comes from. Bina invites Alike over to her house and makes it clear that she's interested in having an intimate encounter. At first Alike admits the proposition makes her uncomfortable but on a 'second date', the proposed tryst is consummated. The twist is that Bina is merely bi-curious and Alike is sorely disappointed that she won't be having an extended relationship with her for the foreseeable future. Alike's reaction is predictable: a full-scale meltdown where she trashes her own room.'Pariah' concludes also on a predictable note. Alike's Mom again chastises her for disappearing and then the parents argue over the mother's suspicion that the father has been having an affair. Alike declares her independence when she reveals to her father that she's been accepted into a creative writing program and asks his permission to sign papers so she can leave home.I suspect that deep down, 'Pariah' has garnered so many accolades not because it's a great film, but precisely because critics wish to encourage the film's creator, Ms. Rees, who apparently has much more talent as a director than a screenwriter. In terms of the writing, perhaps Ms. Rees' strongest suit is dialogue, which has a realistic, gritty feel to it. I also liked her choice of alternative rock for the soundtrack, instead of loud, rap music, which is the type of music one would expect to find in a drama of this kind.'Pariah' is a well-crafted first feature effort. You'll find very good acting here and a story that will pretty much hold your interest to the end. Nonetheless, I didn't find myself invested enough in the protagonist's journey to end up raving about the film as so many others have done. By film's end, with Alike's decision to branch off on her own, my reaction was, "okay, that's nice!" In essence, the filmmaker is saying that those who have been ostracized in society need to go forward in spite of all the criticism. But most young people must go through obstacles in order to achieve independence. Were Alike's difficulties in 'coming of age', that much different than other teenagers? Not really. Hence, I didn't feel I was watching something so 'different' or 'out of the ordinary'. It's up to Ms. Rees to next take on a project that goes beyond the world that she knows so well about and is comfortable with.