Pariah

Written and directed by Ree Dees

Cast: Adepero Oduye (Alike), Pernell Walker (Laura), Asha Davis (Bina)

86 minutes

2011

“Pariah” is an example of reaching the potential of cinematic expression.  I sat alone in the Uptown Theater to see this interesting and arresting film.  I was comfortable being alone.  It’s a treat.  About an hour into “Pariah” a woman wandered into the theater with a huge backpack and carrying two suitcases.  She had her choice of any seat in the theater.  Where did she choose to sit -- two rows directly in front of me.  Distracted?  Just a little.  Maybe she didn’t see me and was happy to be alone in a theater too.  She had a foot high beehive hairdo that obstructed in my view.  I slid over a few seats and forgot about her. “Pariah” was a compelling film and easy to get involved in.

The cinematography is intimate, darkly lit, and mostly done in close ups.  It is rough around the edges and beautiful at the same time.  It reaches into the far visual corner of cinema and reveals an original look.  The characters were raw and real.  It felt unrehearsed, but not improvised.  It was hard to categorize and that made it really interesting.

The themes of this well told simple story dig into sexual identity, family expectations, coming of age, discovery, and trust.  I recommend “Pariah”.