Pariah
2011
Drama
1h 26m
A Brooklyn teenager juggles conflicting identities and risks family and friendships in a search for sexual expression. (tiff.net)
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Pariah
2011
Drama
1h 26m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 60.4% from 225 total ratings
Ratings & Reviews
(225)
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Rated 17 Dec 2012
79
66th
This is the first black lesbians film I've seen, but ultimately you could strip out the black lesbian elements and you'd have a typical coming-of-age story about an awkward teenager struggling against family/friends to find their identity and place in the world. When you look at it that way the film is pretty run-of-the-mill and cliché. But all that black lesbianism... wow. This is a dream come true for black lesbian fans the world over. Pariah is truly the Avatar of black lesbian filmmaking.
Rated 17 Dec 2012
Rated 30 Apr 2021
80
65th
As a genre, LGBTQ coming-of-age films can have standard tropes. You'll see a young person falling in love, grappling with coming out to their parents, and club scenes with dance music. Pariah includes those themes, but puts a nice spin on how they impact an African-American teenager. At times it can be a little conservative, but it's still a great entry point for families who need the discussion. It loses minor points for some missed opportunities in the adult subplots. Still, recommended.
Rated 30 Apr 2021
Rated 30 Apr 2012
75
55th
A truly heart felt film. The acting is highly believable and true. Capable of honest sadness and uplifting promise, Pariah caters to the open-minded viewer.
Rated 30 Apr 2012
Rated 04 Dec 2013
86
91st
Looks like it's going to become some nice, sweet love story (a la Fucking Amal) before it takes a sharp right hand turn into Pialat-territory, and not just because there's a big family fight at the end. Maybe not that unique and original but it kind of hits the right notes about adolescence even if some parts are not applicable to me.
If nothing else, it gives us a Brooklyn that isn't white twentysomethings.
Rated 04 Dec 2013
Rated 12 Jan 2012
58
40th
Aside from the half-baked commentary on living as an African-American lesbian, Pariah is an almost outstandingly banal Hollywood romance flick. Lovers quarrel, fathers lecture, mothers preach, teens rebel, all against the sloppy backdrop of cringe-inducing heart-and-soul poetry. In short, Rees' screenplay attempts every familiar tear-jerking device, with moments of melodrama that are positively painful to watch. A shame, because Pariah boasts gorgeous cinematography and superb acting all around.
Rated 12 Jan 2012
Rated 03 Jan 2023
94
92nd
Goddamn this movie is so good. It feels so real and authentic and I truly cared for these characters and felt what they were feeling. The acting is all superb, and Rees shows her directing and writing skills off to perfection. I highly recommend for any film lover, but especially people in queer community and/or the black community. A rare movie that you don't want to miss. I give 9 masc lesbians out of 10.
Rated 03 Jan 2023
Rated 26 Sep 2012
92
81st
very well done: acting, plot, characters are all top shelf. this "pariah" shouldn't be missed. hopefully this "outcast" will be seen and not shunned by many......
Rated 26 Sep 2012
Rated 18 Jun 2017
65
38th
Mostly predictable indie with an exceptional ending.
Rated 18 Jun 2017
Rated 23 Jul 2018
82
70th
There are a lot of movies like Pariah, but it specifically excels at showing the cycles of miscommunication, frustration, and pain that ripple out from one person's struggle with identity within a society that constantly bombards them with its own range of pressures. It's not the morose or lonely drama its title implies, either; there are heavy moments, of course, and many of them, but Oduye's smile is one of the enduring images of the movie. A satisfying take on familiar subject matter.
Rated 23 Jul 2018
Rated 21 Oct 2011
25
61st
"It's important to talk at length about Pariah's aesthetic because of how it distracts from the emotional truthfulness of the sometimes heartbreaking, by and large gorgeously performed story." - Ed Gonzalez
Rated 21 Oct 2011
Rated 10 Dec 2012
79
73rd
It's a really classic coming-of-age story with the subtext made text
Rated 10 Dec 2012
Rated 19 May 2013
85
85th
Uncommonly deft direction of actors, particularly for a first-timer, helps create an instantly authentic & rich social milieu from the very first frame. Director Dee Rees' screenplay missteps a few times, mostly due to its adherence to familiar dramatic tropes, but the attentive camera never misses a beat of the uniformly fine & emotional performances, particularly Adepero Oduye's lead as a shy teenage lesbian poet trying to be true to herself in Brooklyn.
Rated 19 May 2013
Rated 26 Jun 2013
73
70th
Quite good slice-of=life film...although the slice is, shall we say, a very thin one.
Rated 26 Jun 2013
Rated 02 Jun 2012
80
78th
A deeply felt portrait of the difficulties of an emerging sexual identity that contradicts the norms.
Rated 02 Jun 2012
Rated 06 Feb 2017
64
20th
Was this filmed in 2011 or 1951? Hardly anybody acts rationally in this film, at times feeling like caricatures of outdated stereotypes than real human beings. Half-baked cultural commentary that's at least sometimes buoyed by nice cinematography.
Rated 06 Feb 2017
Rated 20 Feb 2018
78
72nd
I sure hope my daughters are lesbians
Rated 20 Feb 2018
Rated 23 Sep 2012
69
22nd
Hm. Good concept, but aside from drawing me in emotionally (which isn't hard to do), I found that it wasn't executed as well as it could have been.
Rated 23 Sep 2012
Rated 13 Jun 2022
95
84th
This feels like a passion project some director does years after they have made a name for themselves, but it’s actually a debut. A brilliant one at that. I loved the cinema and coloring, but it’s really held aloft by excellent performances from literally everyone but an especially great Adepero Oduye, and a very powerful story. I loved how it explored feminism, self-discovery, class and judgement so well in so little time. It also has great characters. Actually, it has great everything.
Rated 13 Jun 2022
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