Pariah (n): A social outcast
The movie Pariah is the story of a 17-year-old Brooklyn teenager dealing with her sexuality. Alike (pronounced ah-lee-kay) has accepted that she is a lesbian but her religious mother and otherwise occupied father refuse to acknowledge the truth for different reasons.
The writing and directing by Dee Rees is a blueprint for effective storytelling. The characters are multi layered, the dialogue sings (some profanity) and the actors are superb. The character Alike embodies all the teenage angst we all experienced. The audience is a witness to this young woman trying to find where she fits in the world.
Pariah premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2011 and was released earlier this year to limited screens. This film didn’t get much marketing so the masses may have missed it. However, if you appreciate quality writing, excellent acting (Kim Wayans is outstanding) and an engaging story, I highly recommend this movie.
Favorite quote from the movie: Alike reading a poem that encompasses the overall theme.
Heartbreak opens onto the sunrise for even breaking is opening and I am broken, I am open. Broken into the new life without pushing in, open to the possibilities within, pushing out. See the love shine in through my cracks? See the light shine out through me? I am broken, I am open, I am broken open. See the love light shining through me, shining through my cracks, through the gaps. My spirit takes journey, my spirit takes flight, could not have risen otherwise and I am not running, I am choosing. Running is not a choice from the breaking. Breaking is freeing, broken is freedom. I am not broken, I am free.