A teenager in Brooklyn, Lee (the vibrant Adepero Oduye) leaves her house dressed conservatively but quickly shifts to a harder-edged ensemble on the way to school, only to reverse looks on the way home. She also trades clothes with friends and her sister.
All of that changing, as well as the fact that various people call her by various names (her full name is Alike, pronounced a-LEE-kay), is a sign that Lee has recently figured out she’s a lesbian, her family will probably not be OK with that and she’s struggling to be who she is while keeping that very big secret.
Writer/director Dee Rees’ film is personal and closely observed, almost as if she’s letting us read a chapter of a diary. (She has said “Pariah” is autobiographical.). Right up to the hopeful-but-circumspect ending, Rees pays tribute to the difficulties of not only Lee’s situation but also her family’s. Perhaps because she has come through this drama and made it out the other side, Rees demonstrates a poignant ability to understand the feelings of the members of a traditional Christian family who can’t figure out why Lee doesn’t want the things they think she should want.
Lee’s attempts to come to terms with her sexuality are the focus of “Pariah,” but it’s much more than a coming-out tale. In Lee’s house, there’s a sense everyone is always speaking in code because there are so many topics they’re trying not to face. And that brings “Pariah” to a unique place for several of its characters, all of whom learn that life becomes more honest and possibility-filled if you come out of whatever closet you’re hiding in. ‘PARIAH’
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Cast: Adepero Oduye, Pernell Walker, Aasha Davis, Charles Parnell, Sahra Mellesse, Kim Wayans
Director: Dee Rees
Running time: 1:26
Rated: R; strong language, sexual situations
