Pariah
- Genre: Drama
- Director: Dee Rees
- Stars: Adepero Oduye, Kim Wayans, Aasha Davis
- Rate: ***
From first time director Dee Rees and executive producer Spike Lee comes Pariah, a Sundance hit unfairly dismissed by some critics as Precious Lite. Both movies are set in inner city African American communities, and both feature a central character fighting to find her place, but there the similarities end. Pariah is the story of Alike (Adepero Oduye), a 17-year-old struggling to assert her sexuality to her god-fearing mother and family. It’s a simple but vibrant movie, buoyed by authentic, heartfelt performances — particularly from Oduye, Kim Wayans as the mother and streetwise friend Sahra Mellesse — and, unlike Precious, blessed with an uplifting ending.
