Pariah Review
By David Kempler
This is Not One to Avoid
Alike (pronounced ah-lee-kay) is a 17-year-old African American woman who is on the cusp of figuring out exactly who she is. She lives with her parents, Audrey (Kim Wayans) and Arthur (Charles Parnell), and her younger sister Sharonda. Arthur is a New York City cop. Audrey works in an office. Both operate outside of the main story, even though director Dee Rees tries hard to weave them into the flow.
Alike (Adepero Oduye) is somewhat on the quiet side, but with good reason. Her internal wrestling over coming to terms with her being a lesbian is the pivotal point of "Pariah". She already knows it but she has yet to act on it, spending her time with other lesbians and going to clubs where the clientele are clearly out and proud. The scenes in these clubs are vibrant in both tone and appearance and provide us with a unique view of a world that most of us do not have a clue about. This presumes that the depiction of clubs like these are accurate. I bought it.
Alike's best friend is the firmly out-of-the-closet Laura (Pernell Walker). Laura is eager to get Alike comfortable with her sexuality and Laura sometimes displays a smidgen of interest towards Laura, but Laura isn't ready to take the final step of sexuality with anyone. Alike's mom does not hide the fact that she does not care for Laura and wants her daughter to make new friends. At the core, it is mom's fear that Alike may be slipping into the
awful world of being gay. Alike's father isn't concerned about it because his prime concern resides with his own extramarital affair.
Alike's mom introduces her to Bina (Aasha Davis), a colleague's daughter, in the hopes of expanding her circle of friends and putting her more in step with God. Alike wants no part of hanging out with Bina, at first. However, reluctantly she understands that they actually have an awful lot in common. This sets into motion the finest parts of "Pariah". The relationship between Alike and Bina takes a few unexpected turns and finally goes off in a direction that feels extremely honest, even if it is not what you might think is coming. Because of meeting Bina, Alike is finally ready to become her whole person.
"Pariah" would almost have been better without Alike's parents. The scenes involving them feel like they were wedged in, even though they are somewhat necessary to propelling the arc of the plot. Still, "Pariah" feels real in a world where so many feel phony, and this is primarily because it is an acting tour-de-force for Ms. Oduye. If she does not rake in an Oscar nomination, those voting would be deserving of pariah treatment.
