PARIAH (Dee Rees). For venues and times, see Movies. Rating: NNNN
A lesbian coming-out film with energy and edge should not still be so rare. But I haven’t seen anything like this story of Alike, an African-American high-schooler who’s looking for love, mostly in the wrong places.
Charismatic Adepero Oduye (unbelievably, 33 years old playing 17) stars as a teen poet struggling for affirmation in a Brooklyn, New York, household where her Christian mom (Kim Wayans) gives her no support and her police officer dad (Charles Parnell) is keeping too many secrets of his own to pay much attention.
Pariah has three things going for it: great performances (Wayans, known as a comic performer, does an amazing dramatic turn), an exhilarating soundtrack of girl-powered hip-hop, metal and soul (including Reema Major, Khia) and director Dee Rees’s savvy script.
Among its pleasures are Alike’s dykey best friend, Laura (Pernell Walker), who scares the shit out of Alike’s mother, and Alike’s classic encounter with a girl who’s only toying with her. Totally fresh.
