Pariah is writer/director Dee Rees' debut feature film, based on her award-winning 2007 short film of the same name. Spike Lee is among the feature's executive producers, and he also served as Dees' senior advisor at New York University's graduate film program.
When asked what her inspiration was for the film, Rees stated:
I wrote Pariah when I was going through my own coming-out process. So I actually first wrote it in 2005, and the inspiration was just to try to tell a story that captured the struggle for identity, and for Alike [played by Adepero Oduye] the more complicated idea of figuring out how to be in the world. That was the driving force in writing the film. Coming from Nashville I'd never seen out gay teenagers, so in New York I was really inspired by seeing these young women who already at a young age knew who they were and weren't afraid to be that.
In Pariah, Alike (pronounced ah-lee-kay), beautifully played by Adepero Oduye, is quietly but firmly embracing her identity as a lesbian. She has the sometimes boisterous support of her best friend, out lesbian Laura (played by 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.
Pariah recently led the field with nine nominations for the Foundation for the Advancement of African Americans in Film's 12th annual Black Reel Awards, beating The Help, with seven nominations. This is one of the best movies of 2011, and it opens in select cities Dec. 28.
LISTEN:
From left to right: Pariah director Dee Rees, producer Nekisa Cooper, executive producer Spike Lee, and actress Adepero Oduye
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