At first blush, it's easy to tag Dee Rees' new film Pariah as "this year's Precious." Both films deal with African-American teen girls in New York with difficult mothers played by comediennes. But while Precious is as sublte as a carpet bombing, Pariah is sublime. It tells the story of Alike (played with quiet authority by Adepero Oduye), a 17 year old girl in Brooklyn who is slowly coming out as a lesbian... to everyone but her family. Her best friend Laura (the excellent Pernell Walker) is out as well and way more comfortable in her skin. Her conservative, church-going mom Audrey is struggling to keep her marriage alive with her workaholic husband while pushing back against her daughter embracing her identity.
Now, I know this all sounds heavy. There are a lot of meaty topics being discussed in Pariah, but it all fits the story. Director Rees balances out all the characters very well while keeping the focus on Alike. There's a certain generosity to all the characters in Pariah: no one's the villian, no one's the saint. Even the supporting characters are fully-fleshed out. While the story easily could have fallen into melodramatic cliches or easy ways out, it goes the most logical route (There's one scene in particular between Laura and her mother that is just outstanding).
The acting in Pariah is spot-on; everything feels authentic and lived in. Adepero Oduye is just wonderful, but the surprise in the film is Kim Wayans as Alike's disapproving mother Audrey. I've been a fan of Wayans since In Living Color, and her work here is excellent. You understand exactly where Audrey is coming from the whole way through; you get her very quickly, and that has a lot to do with Wayans' portrayl.
On the technical level, Pariah is gorgeous. It won the Cinematography Award at this year's Sundance Festival for a reason. The opening scene at a nightclub is breathtaking. The film moves very well, and the music is great. This is one of those movies that fires on all cylanders, which makes me sad that it's not getting more attention this award season. Definitely see this movie. Look, if you don't trust me, trust its 98% rating at Rotten Tomatoes. Pariah is a great film.
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