Pariah (2011)

Name: Pariah
Genre: Drama
Duration: 86 min
Cast: Kim Wayans, Afton Williamson, Aasha Davis, Adepero Oduye, Stephanie Andujar

Pariah

Drama

Documentary

Release Date: December 27, 2011
Director: Dee Rees
Cast: Kim Wayans , Afton Williamson , Aasha Davis , Adepero Oduye , Stephanie Andujar , Charles Parnell
Runtime: 86
Main Genre: Drama
Writers: Dee Rees
Tagline: [puh-rahy-uh] noun. 1. A person without status 2. A rejected member of society 3. An outcast
Website: http://www.focusfeatures.com/pariah

Summary

Adepero Oduye, who had earlier starred in the short film, portrays Alike (pronounced ah-lee-kay), a 17-year-old African-American woman who lives with her parents Audrey and Arthur (Kim Wayans and Charles Parnell) and younger sister Sharonda (Sahra Mellesse) in Brooklyn’s Fort Greene neighborhood. She has a flair for poetry, and is a good student at her local high school. Alike is quietly but firmly embracing her identity as a lesbian. With the sometimes boisterous support of her best friend, out lesbian Laura (Pernell Walker), Alike is especially eager to find a girlfriend. At home, her parents’ marriage is strained and there is further tension in the household whenever Alike’s development becomes a topic of discussion. Pressed by her mother into making the acquaintance of a colleague’s daughter, Bina (Aasha Davis), Alike finds Bina to be unexpectedly refreshing to socialize with. Wondering how much she can confide in her family, Alike strives to get through adolescence with grace, humor, and tenacity – sometimes succeeding, sometimes not, but always moving forward.