Phonearl Good start, but then it gets ruined

Dorathen Better Late Then Never

Fairaher The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

Suman Roberson It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

Blake Peterson Alike's smile could stretch from California to Florida. It's a grin so infectious that you would never guess that, underneath her bubbliness, is a great deal of hurt. She is a lesbian, and has known so for years, but is afraid to admit it, both to herself and her dysfunctional family. Alike (pronounced ah-lee-kay) is only able to act like herself around her best friend Laura (Pernell Walker), who is openly gay, extroverted, and unafraid to speak her mind. She idolizes how comfortable Laura is in her own skin, but isn't so sure that her personal dream to be who she really is will ever become reality.It's understandable. Everyone around Alike is aware of her sexual orientation, but they aren't overt about it. Her parents, grumpy policeman Arthur (Charles Parnell) and the conservative Audrey (Kim Wayans), have put two and two together, but uttering the eventual four might cause an eruption of disbelief. Alike wants to break free from the clutches of the closet she is shackled to, and Pariah is a snapshot of that prison break. With her 4.0 GPA and stirring demeanor, she will, no doubt, succeed in life — yet this small window of her 18th year feels like an eternity to this charismatic young woman.Pariah is a coming-of-age story of sorts, but unlike its sappy peers it has something real, something rousing. Its story could be applied to anyone's life, regardless of sexuality, because it is a film that magnifies that awkward transition in high school where the kid starts to realize that their adult wings are sprouting while their parents, in denial, want to clip them so they can have their precious baby safely in their nest for just a few more years. In Alike's case, that evolution is infinitely more dramatic. She is close to becoming the woman she's always wanted to be, but in order to do so she must come out to her friends and family. It could destroy the comfortable repression that hangs over her life, but if she doesn't, she'll be someone else's version of Alike while the real one is confined to a psychological jail cell.Dee Rees, in her directorial debut, handles Pariah with sensitivity and a strong sense of affection that makes us care deeply about Alike's struggle with her identity. It's a semi-autobiographical work for Rees, and the result is something even more intimate than the best of memoirs. The film is directed with a flair for color and soul, accenting its walls with flavorful music and ripening the developments of its characters by giving us a chance to get to know them individually. Alike's story resonates with such power because Rees takes the time to study the people she will eventually come out to, spending scenes with them so that we can consider their ticks, their neuroses. If it were made by another filmmaker, perhaps Alike's parents would come across as the typical over- reactionary adults that befall movies with a similar premise. Not here. Rees is so delicate with her characters that even the harshest of a reaction rings with sympathy because we know, and, more importantly, understand, the reason for it.But of course, Pariah's tear-jerking sensibilities wouldn't have the same potency without Adepero Oduye, who portrays Alike with virulent sweetness. Subjects of a coming-of-age film frequently flutter about in copycatted air, slightly awkward, needing an adult for guidance. Oduye, though, isn't an ordinary actress, and Pariah isn't an ordinary film. As Alike, authenticity comes naturally; she is not so much acting here and she is becoming her character. There isn't a need for an Oscar-begging freakout to prove just how wonderful of a performance this is: Oduye's painless likability makes the urgency of Alike's dilemma all the more heartrending. When she experiences her first heartbreak, we cry with her. When she gets accepted into a prestigious college program, we cheer with her. Pariah is moving in a number of ways; few films are as ardent as this one.Read more reviews at petersonreviews.com

cabcomp 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.

manendra-lodhi So we got another film like broke back mountain, and can consider this one as what broke back mountain would be if we go back when the characters were child. The film explores very nicely how gay and lesbian would feel and cope up with the fact when they find that they are what they are. Family is a biggest problem when proceeding with something like this. The acting is very nice by alike. I liked particularly the lighting in the film. they were apt and truly defined the actual notion of the film. The character of the father was nicely sketched and properly shown. There is nothing wrong in the film. I would say this is one of the best films on a different subject matter."A must watch for all film buffs and a definite one time watch for anyone wanting to explore different story lines."

savstar2787 My stepmother and I went to a free screening of this movie at the Angelika Theater. I didn't know what to expect except that I knew the girl was a lesbian.This flick features TRULY gifted and believable actors...from the main character, Alike, and her pains and trials, to her young sister in high school and the parents...OMGSH, the parents...and her friend Laura was incredible too. The characters are juicy and rounded; you find yourself truly interested in the people they're portraying to be, and in how they feel. It's almost like you come to know them.Here, folks, is what to expect from the movie Pariah: this is an emotional film. It's got a lot of humor and heart, and it's got sadness and pain, too. We all remember growing up and trying to find out who we are and what we are attracted to; Pariah will remind you of what that felt like. You will emote as they do and be drawn in to the story right out of the box. Trust me...this is a movie you do NOT want to miss. Two thumbs WAY UP! :)