Pariah (2011)

Directed by Dee Rees. Starring Adepero Oduye, Kim Wayans, Charles Parnell, Aasha Davis, Pernell Walker, Sahra Mellesse, Shamika Cotton, Ray Anthony Thomas. [R]

On its elemental story and character relationship levels, this is the sort of thing we’ve seen and/or heard numerous times before: Alike (Oduye), a teenage girl on a tentative quest of self-discovery, learns to embrace her lesbian sexuality at the potential cost of friendship and family. We’re not surprised by Alike’s feelings not being fully reciprocated by the girl she’s interested in, nor her father’s warnings to avoid “butch” lifestyle choices, nor her mother’s bitter disapproval (replete with the final vicious remark about praying for her rather than assuring shared love). So, yes, on a narrative and interpersonal dynamic level, it rings true yet very familiar. But debuting feature writer/director Dee Rees taps into the nuances of adolescence so clearly, it’s bound to personally reverberate within viewers who’ve never even spent time in the company of a gay black girl (let alone are one); the details are so specific but the emotions and dynamics are so universal, it ends up being one of those stories we’ve heard time and again, yet we end up listening with great interest again because of how heartfelt this journey is. There are minor missteps, and the conventional aesthetics of intimacy flicker between the beautiful and the banal sometimes, but the acting is effective, the arc is satisfying, and these individuals are both felt and understood instead of merely being pawns for a gimmick or sermon. Some suspension of disbelief may be required, however—Oduye is wonderful in the lead role, but she looks way too old for it. Spike Lee co-executive produced.

80/100