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Pariah

6.1

738

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Original title

Pariah

Year

2011

Running time

84 min.

Country

United States

Director

Dee Rees

Screenwriter

Dee Rees

Cast

Music

Various

Cinematography

Bradford Young

Producer

Northstar Pictures, Sundial Pictures. Producer: Spike Lee

Genre

Drama | Teen/coming-of-age. Family Relationships. Friendship. Gay & Lesbian. Independent Film (US)

Synopsis

A Brooklyn teenager juggles conflicting identities and risks friendship, heartbreak, and family in a desperate search for sexual expression. At the club, the music thumps, go-go dancers twirl, shorties gyrate on the dance floor while studs play it cool, and adorably naive 17-year-old Alike takes in the scene with her jaw dropped in amazement. Meanwhile, her buddy Laura, in between macking the ladies and flexing her butch bravado, is trying to help Alike get her cherry popped. This is Alike’s first world. Her second world is calling on her cell to remind her of her curfew. On the bus ride home to Brooklyn, Alike sheds her baseball cap and polo shirt, puts her earrings back in, and tries to look like the feminine, obedient girl her conservative family expects.

Awards: 2011: Sundance Film Festival: Best Cinematography (Dramatic)

2011: Gotham Awards: Best New Director

2011: Independent Spirit Awards: John Cassavetes Award. 2 Nominations

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Critics' reviews

"Dee Rees demonstrates, with simplicity and verve, that there’s no substitute for authenticity

Lisa Schwarzbaum: Entertainment Weekly
"The gifted Rees makes finding out a stirring and heartfelt journey. And Oduye is unforgettable. A star is born.(...) Rating: ★★★½ (out of 4)"

Peter Travers: Rolling Stone
Dee Rees avoids all the usual clichés with the powerful 'Pariah,' a moving story that’s told with intelligence, heart and a working knowledge of the real world we live in"

Alonso Duralde: The Wrap
"A fresh take on the overfamiliar coming-out genre"

John DeFore: The Hollywood Reporter
"Vivid photography and a wonderful lead performance compensate for some first-timer missteps.(...) the best scenes point toward a fine future for the director "

Andrew Barker: Variety
"An impressive debut (...) Rating: ★★★½ (out of 4)"

Roger Ebert: Chicago Sun-Times
"'Pariah’' has a rough spot or two, but it’s an exciting journey of discovery — both for the audience and for a feisty heroine determined to learn how to be true to herself. Don’t miss it."

Lou Lumenick: New York Post
"You don't have to be black or lesbian or even know someone who's gay to appreciate "Pariah"; you just have to have gone through or be going through the process of growing up."

Tom Long: Detroit News

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User history

Pariah

2011

Dee Rees

6.1

(738)