Enter a Rotten Tomatoes movie slug to inspect the stored movie, batches, snapshots, and reviews.
Movie ID: 764
RT slug: pariah_2011
RT URL: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/pariah_2011
Release year: 2011
Runtime: 86 mins
Wide release date: —
Limited release date: 2011-12-28
Festival premiere date: 2011-01-20
Streaming release date: —
Tomatometer final: 95%
Audience score final: —
Genres: Drama, LGBTQ+
Directors: Dee Rees
Writers: Dee Rees
Producers: Nekisa Cooper
MPAA rating: R
Executive Producers: Spike Lee
Created: 2026-06-15 17:18:36
Updated: 2026-06-15 17:18:36
A Brooklyn teenager quietly embraces her identity as a lesbian while navigating family pressure, friendship, first love and self-discovery.
—
Canonical reviews: 122
Canonical fresh: 116
Canonical rotten: 6
Canonical calculated Tomatometer: 95%
Latest snapshot UTC: 2026-06-15 15:24:34
Snapshot Tomatometer: 95%
Snapshot review count: 122
Snapshot fresh count: 116
Snapshot rotten count: 6
Source note: Imported from manual review paste batch #1324 (full_snapshot)
| Company | Role |
|---|---|
| Focus Features | distributor |
| Billing | Name | Character |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adepero Oduye | Alike |
| 2 | Pernell Walker | Laura |
| 3 | Aasha Davis | Bina |
| 4 | Charles Parnell | Arthur |
| 5 | Sahra Mellesse | Sharonda |
| Batch ID | Status | Mode | Created | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 780 | processed | — | 2026-06-15 17:18:36 | Processed successfully into movie_id=764 using update_mode=merge_non_empty. |
| Batch ID | Local Snapshot | UTC Snapshot | Entered % | Entered Count | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1324 | 2026-06-15 10:24:00 (America/Panama) | 2026-06-15 15:24:34 | 95% | 122 | processed | Mode=full_snapshot. Processed 122 row(s); 0 row error(s). Parsed unique reviews in this batch=122, fresh=116, rotten=6, tomatometer=95%. Net new reviews added=122, fresh=116, rotten=6. Current canonical totals=122 reviews, 116 fresh, 6 rotten, tomatometer=95% (95.082%). Entered review count matched parsed batch count (122). Entered tomatometer matched parsed batch value (95%). |
| ID | Critic | Outlet | Fresh? | Score | RT Time Raw | Approx Published UTC | Quote |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 173515 | Annlee Ellingson | CineWomen | Fresh | — | 2024-07-29T00:12:58Z | 2024-07-29 00:12:58 | [Director Dee] Rees has crafted an indelible coming-of-age portrait of a teen lesbian and poet that’s by turns funny and awkward, painful and triumphant. |
| 173516 | Steve Cruz | OUT FRONT Magazine (Denver) | Fresh | — | 2023-05-09T16:49:12Z | 2023-05-09 16:49:12 | It is emotionally genuine, populated by believable characters, and driven by dialogue and music that is honest to its characters and their issues. |
| 173517 | Brian Susbielles | InSession Film | Fresh | — | 2023-02-28T17:10:53Z | 2023-02-28 17:10:53 | Rees, using her own background as a template, constructs the story of discovery and embracement while aware of the social constructs that prevent it from being a more open, accepting experience. |
| 173518 | Michael Cuby | them. | Fresh | — | 2022-09-26T22:31:36Z | 2022-09-26 22:31:36 | A sensitive coming-of-age tale guided by a career-making lead performance, Pariah is essential viewing. |
| 173519 | Kevin Wight | The Wee Review | Fresh | — | 2021-08-01T13:30:10Z | 2021-08-01 13:30:10 | 4 Pariah doesn't strain towards unnecessary drama, finding a sweet spot of unvarnished verisimilitude. |
| 173520 | Matt Brunson | Film Frenzy | Fresh | 3.5/4 | 2021-07-03T02:51:38Z | 2021-07-03 02:51:38 | This is a movie that will doubtless speak to those who have endured similar hardships in their youth, and Rees' message seems to be that, as Dan Savage would say, it gets better. |
| 173521 | Spectra Speaks | Autostraddle | Fresh | — | 2021-06-11T15:10:27Z | 2021-06-11 15:10:27 | The acting and directing create a winning combination for unlocking the most powerful tool in social change: empathy. |
| 173522 | tt stern-enzi | Fox19 (Cincinnati, OH) | Fresh | — | 2021-05-24T22:41:10Z | 2021-05-24 22:41:10 | It has the depth and warmth that you'd expect to see from larger-budget productions... |
| 173523 | Scott Nye | Battleship Pretension | Fresh | — | 2021-03-22T23:41:28Z | 2021-03-22 23:41:28 | It's a breath of fresh air, and for a good deal of its running time, it's also a thoroughly effective piece of drama... |
| 173524 | Natalie | Autostraddle | Fresh | — | 2021-01-29T18:34:24Z | 2021-01-29 18:34:24 | Pariah was honed over seven years...and the film that results is a stunning achievement. |
| 173525 | Alyx Vesey | Bitch Media | Fresh | — | 2021-01-12T00:00:57Z | 2021-01-12 00:00:57 | To me, a film that engenders that sort of hope and possibility is worth gas money, an $8 ticket, and a trip to the concession stand. |
| 173526 | Richard Propes | TheIndependentCritic.com | Fresh | 3.5/4.0 | 2020-09-19T22:30:22Z | 2020-09-19 22:30:22 | Pariah is the sort of high quality, under the radar film that seems to always escape the attention of the Oscars. |
| 173527 | Allen Almachar | The MacGuffin | Fresh | B | 2020-08-04T16:30:57Z | 2020-08-04 16:30:57 | Adepero Oduye is so tender and sincere with her performance ... she breathes and lives her character with an element of truth. |
| 173528 | B. Ruby Rich | Film Quarterly | Fresh | — | 2020-02-28T01:22:34Z | 2020-02-28 01:22:34 | The tone is tragicomic, the genre is coming-of-age, and the execution is impeccable. |
| 173529 | Debbie Lynn Elias | Behind The Lens | Fresh | — | 2019-11-26T02:11:52Z | 2019-11-26 02:11:52 | ...Pariah maintains a very lyrical flow built upon good storytelling and filled with magnificent performances that soar. |
| 173530 | Alexander Ryll | Gay Essential | Fresh | — | 2019-09-15T11:00:57Z | 2019-09-15 11:00:57 | Directed by Dee Rees a Brooklyn teenager juggles conflicting identities and risks friendship, heartbreak, and family in a desperate search for sexual expression. |
| 173531 | Mattie Lucas | From the Front Row | Fresh | 3.5/4 | 2019-08-06T00:48:22Z | 2019-08-06 00:48:22 | This is one of the most raw and powerful depictions of budding teenage sexuality I've ever seen, told universal resonance and emotional appeal. |
| 173532 | Kelly Jane Torrance | Washington Examiner | Fresh | 3/4 | 2019-01-04T21:41:42Z | 2019-01-04 21:41:42 | It's that nuanced treatment of an often-sensationalized subject that makes Pariah such an impressive debut. |
| 173533 | Tara Thorne | The Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia) | Fresh | — | 2018-11-16T23:18:44Z | 2018-11-16 23:18:44 | Pariah is a fine debut---it's all been done, but rarely with performances this raw and real. |
| 173534 | Lindsay Pugh | Woman in Revolt | Fresh | — | 2018-10-24T02:21:49Z | 2018-10-24 02:21:49 | "Pariah" is a beautiful, sensitive debut, described by the cinematographer, Bradford Young as "a world and a film colored with glitter and pain." |
| 173535 | Candice Frederick | Reel Talk Online | Fresh | A | 2017-09-08T21:04:54Z | 2017-09-08 21:04:54 | Each character is so real, like someone you may know, which makes Pariah a real comfort. |
| 173536 | Sean Burns | Philadelphia Weekly | Rotten | — | 2015-05-03T11:35:32Z | 2015-05-03 11:35:32 | Such a shame the rest of the picture hews so closely to the stereotypical indie playbook. |
| 173537 | Kristal Cooper | We Got This Covered | Fresh | 10/10 | 2012-09-15T09:14:42Z | 2012-09-15 09:14:42 | Pariah tells an involving story that's both deftly relatable and urgently progressive. |
| 173538 | Michael Dequina | TheMovieReport.com | Fresh | 3/4 | 2012-06-25T16:18:09Z | 2012-06-25 16:18:09 | The uniformly excellent work that Rees coaxes from her entire ensemble elevates her film above the more formulaic coming-of-age beats of her screenplay. |
| 173539 | Eric Melin | Scene-Stealers.com | Fresh | 3/4 | 2012-06-01T12:08:14Z | 2012-06-01 12:08:14 | Displaying an amazing amount of confidence and vulnerability at the same time, Oduye carries the film. |
| 173540 | Kevin Carr | 7M Pictures | Rotten | 2.5/5 | 2012-05-25T15:36:10Z | 2012-05-25 15:36:10 | Like Albert Nobbs, Pariah deals with issues of identity and sexuality, though in a vastly different way. |
| 173541 | Philip Martin | Arkansas Democrat-Gazette | Fresh | 88/100 | 2012-04-29T07:50:17Z | 2012-04-29 07:50:17 | ...evades the formula for coming-of-age films as it announces the arrival of a fascinating new star in the remarkable Adepero Oduye. |
| 173542 | Rob Thomas | Capital Times (Madison, WI) | Fresh | 3.5/4 | 2012-04-13T09:05:16Z | 2012-04-13 09:05:16 | That's what I loved about "Pariah," that it sets up a very familiar narrative and then makes it painfully real and surprising. T |
| 173543 | Mike Scott | Times-Picayune | Fresh | 4/5 | 2012-03-09T05:10:56Z | 2012-03-09 05:10:56 | A smart, compelling -- and optimistic -- portrait of heartbreak and hope. |
| 173544 | Loey Lockerby | Kansas City Star | Fresh | 3/4 | 2012-03-08T14:51:07Z | 2012-03-08 14:51:07 | Wayans, best known for acting in comedies with her siblings, is a revelation as a woman whose faith offers both hope and blind judgment. |
| 173545 | Ken Hanke | Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) | Fresh | 4.5/5 | 2012-03-07T08:49:31Z | 2012-03-07 08:49:31 | Smart, heartfelt, savvy, beautifully acted -- and clever enough at 86 minutes not to overstay its welcome. |
| 173546 | Duane Dudek | Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | Fresh | 3/4 | 2012-03-01T12:24:08Z | 2012-03-01 12:24:08 | "Pariah" has a vibrant and funky street-wise lyricism, and Rees captures the conflicting emotions of the title character with a fierce intimacy. |
| 173547 | John Anderson | Newsday | Fresh | 3.5/4 | 2012-02-17T08:09:32Z | 2012-02-17 08:09:32 | The gay coming-of-age story's been done, but "Pariah" has something fresh to say, largely about the knotty complexities of love, and how they might keep someone in the closet: How badly do you need to be free, to hurt the people you love? |
| 173548 | John Beifuss | Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) | Fresh | 3/4 | 2012-02-17T07:47:35Z | 2012-02-17 07:47:35 | The bright, bold and unusual colors heighten the emotional impact of Rees' story without interfering with the realism... |
| 173549 | Robert Roten | Laramie Movie Scope | Fresh | B+ | 2012-02-02T10:18:50Z | 2012-02-02 10:18:50 | This fresh new angle on teen sexuality goes well beyond the usual film treatment of this material, creating memorable characters and real drama. |
| 173550 | MaryAnn Johanson | Flick Filosopher | Fresh | — | 2012-02-01T08:25:06Z | 2012-02-01 08:25:06 | [Filmmaker Dee] Rees's eye for how [teen lesbian] Alike maneuvers between her notion of who she is and whom everyone else wants and expects her to be is intense and poignant... |
| 173551 | Sara Michelle Fetters | MovieFreak.com | Fresh | 3.5/4 | 2012-01-27T22:00:40Z | 2012-01-27 22:00:40 | The first word I muttered under my breath after watching writer/director Dee Rees' Pariah, an expansion of her award-winning short film of the same name, was, "Wow." |
| 173552 | Robert Denerstein | Movie Habit | Fresh | — | 2012-01-26T19:05:55Z | 2012-01-26 19:05:55 | Young, gifted, and a gay |
| 173553 | Justin Strout | Orlando Weekly | Fresh | 4/5 | 2012-01-25T16:14:35Z | 2012-01-25 16:14:35 | On a second viewing, I couldn't escape one thought: There's nothing simple about teens coming out to their parents. |
| 173554 | Kelly Vance | East Bay Express | Fresh | — | 2012-01-20T11:33:07Z | 2012-01-20 11:33:07 | Sets new standards for gay-lesbian coming-out play-acting with these "everyday people" rebel girls. |
| 173555 | Sarah Boslaugh | Playback:stl | Fresh | 9/10 | 2012-01-20T04:33:16Z | 2012-01-20 04:33:16 | One of the most remarkable facts about Pariah is how it manages almost completely to avoid stereotypes: Every important character is complex and humanized... |
| 173556 | Tom Long | Detroit News | Fresh | B | 2012-01-20T04:01:09Z | 2012-01-20 04:01:09 | You don't have to be black or lesbian or even know someone who's gay to appreciate "Pariah"; you just have to have gone through or be going through the process of growing up. |
| 173557 | Calvin Wilson | St. Louis Post-Dispatch | Fresh | 3.5/4 | 2012-01-20T03:59:47Z | 2012-01-20 03:59:47 | "Pariah" is a small film about a big subject: the struggle to be who you are, not who others would like you to be. |
| 173558 | Bob Bloom | Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN) | Fresh | 3.5/4 | 2012-01-19T23:23:41Z | 2012-01-19 23:23:41 | First-time writer-director Dee Rees has created a touching and commanding story about one young woman's hazardous journey through the trials and tribulations of adolescence, blooming sexuality and familial strife. |
| 173559 | Chris Hewitt | St. Paul Pioneer Press | Fresh | 3.5/4 | 2012-01-19T10:53:56Z | 2012-01-19 10:53:56 | 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). |
| 173560 | Corey Hall | Metro Times (Detroit, MI) | Fresh | B+ | 2012-01-18T15:02:46Z | 2012-01-18 15:02:46 | It is a striking debut: visually rich, emotionally complex and graced by strong performances from top to bottom. |
| 173561 | Unknown Critic | Austin Chronicle | Fresh | 4/5 | 2012-01-14T05:15:00Z | 2012-01-14 05:15:00 | — |
| 173562 | Rick Groen | Globe and Mail | Fresh | 3/4 | 2012-01-13T05:15:01Z | 2012-01-13 05:15:01 | If the destination is trite, the journey isn't - it comes with an ample supply of raw honesty. |
| 173563 | Shawn Levy | Oregonian | Fresh | B+ | 2012-01-13T02:59:14Z | 2012-01-13 02:59:14 | It's a tiny story, told on an intimate scale, and it is rich in emotion, specificity and care. |
| 173564 | Richard Knight | Knight at the Movies | Fresh | — | 2012-01-13T01:38:28Z | 2012-01-13 01:38:28 | Rees has crafted a moving and powerful first effort that is a welcome edition to the lesbian film canon. |
| 173565 | Carrie Rickey | Philadelphia Inquirer | Fresh | 3.5/4 | 2012-01-12T13:44:47Z | 2012-01-12 13:44:47 | Rees tells Alike's story in vignettes that are sometimes slapstick, sometimes heartbreaking, always tender. |
| 173566 | Gary Thompson | Philadelphia Daily News | Fresh | 3.5/4 | 2012-01-12T11:06:28Z | 2012-01-12 11:06:28 | Part of what makes "Pariah" exceptional is its skill at mapping family dynamics. |
| 173567 | Bill Goodykoontz | Arizona Republic | Fresh | 4/5 | 2012-01-12T09:56:21Z | 2012-01-12 09:56:21 | Especially rewarding about Oduye's performance is how she's able to portray that frustration while retaining hope and optimism. |
| 173568 | Bruce DeMara | Toronto Star | Fresh | 3.5/4 | 2012-01-12T03:20:36Z | 2012-01-12 03:20:36 | Rees' script, peppered with colourful hip-hop argot, is smart and economical, with well-drawn characters, dialogue and situations that echo with authenticity. |
| 173569 | Phil Villarreal | OK! Magazine | Fresh | 3.5/4 | 2012-01-11T05:26:13Z | 2012-01-11 05:26:13 | Pariah sets a new standard for the coming-of-age genre. |
| 173570 | Ian Buckwalter | DCist | Fresh | 7.9/10 | 2012-01-09T08:04:47Z | 2012-01-09 08:04:47 | The intensity of these performances, and their gorgeous rendering on film by cinematographer Bradford Young, carry a film that could easily have sunk into Sundance-indie inspirational clich. |
| 173571 | Brandon Judell | New York Theatre Wire | Fresh | — | 2012-01-08T14:26:25Z | 2012-01-08 14:26:25 | . . . a joyous, inspirational film that is inarguably a "must see" for all. |
| 173572 | Susan Granger | SSG Syndicate | Fresh | 6/10 | 2012-01-08T04:57:16Z | 2012-01-08 04:57:16 | Street-wise and sincere, it's destined to reassure troubled teens searching for their identity - and their parents. |
| 173573 | Ethan Alter | Television Without Pity | Fresh | — | 2012-01-06T11:40:15Z | 2012-01-06 11:40:15 | A modest, but heartfelt debut film. |
| 173574 | Frank Swietek | One Guy's Opinion | Fresh | B- | 2012-01-06T11:05:45Z | 2012-01-06 11:05:45 | Overcomes its flaws to emerge as a sporadically revealing portrait of a young girl's struggle to find herself in a cruelly hostile environment--a promising debut for Rees and a triumph for Oduye. |
| 173575 | Ann Hornaday | Washington Post | Fresh | 4/4 | 2012-01-06T03:33:22Z | 2012-01-06 03:33:22 | "Pariah" feels a lot like life, at its most confusing, contradictory and exhilarating. |
| 173576 | Mark Dujsik | Mark Reviews Movies | Rotten | 2/4 | 2012-01-05T20:51:21Z | 2012-01-05 20:51:21 | Every dramatic beat feels preordained, and it's simply because Rees ... is more concerned with situations than characters. |
| 173577 | Leonard Maltin | leonardmaltin.com | Fresh | — | 2012-01-05T16:03:04Z | 2012-01-05 16:03:04 | First-time feature filmmaker Dee Rees has crafted a movie that is consistently riveting because it is steeped in truth. She and her cast never once strike a false note. |
| 173578 | Chris Vognar | Dallas Morning News | Fresh | B+ | 2012-01-05T15:52:21Z | 2012-01-05 15:52:21 | Adepero Oduye is excellent as a Brooklyn teen coming to terms with her sexual identity in this gritty film |
| 173579 | Joe Morgenstern | Wall Street Journal | Fresh | — | 2012-01-05T15:24:07Z | 2012-01-05 15:24:07 | The originality lies in the details, and the dramatic energy that sustains almost every scene. |
| 173580 | Moira MacDonald | Seattle Times | Fresh | 3.5/4 | 2012-01-05T15:19:34Z | 2012-01-05 15:19:34 | An eloquent, haunting coming-of-age/ coming-out tale... |
| 173581 | Wesley Morris | Boston Globe | Fresh | 3/4 | 2012-01-05T15:12:34Z | 2012-01-05 15:12:34 | "Pariah'' really feels like something rare. |
| 173582 | Matt Pais | RedEye | Fresh | 2.5/4 | 2012-01-05T08:07:39Z | 2012-01-05 08:07:39 | Rides distinctive wheels on a familiar track so that naturalistic performances only go so far, and conventional plotting can't inhibit reality from making its mark. |
| 173583 | Michael Phillips | Chicago Tribune | Fresh | 3.5/4 | 2012-01-05T05:04:05Z | 2012-01-05 05:04:05 | Rees packs a lot into a simple narrative, and only rarely overpacks. |
| 173584 | Roger Ebert | Chicago Sun-Times | Fresh | 3.5/4 | 2012-01-05T02:49:57Z | 2012-01-05 02:49:57 | The film is an impressive debut for writer-director Dee Rees. |
| 173585 | Ella Taylor | NPR | Fresh | — | 2012-01-04T16:46:32Z | 2012-01-04 16:46:32 | Pariah is a tender, sporadically goofy, yet candid examination of emergent identity. |
| 173586 | Lisa Schwarzbaum | Entertainment Weekly | Fresh | A | 2012-01-04T15:54:37Z | 2012-01-04 15:54:37 | In her fearless, world-here-I-am! debut Pariah, writer-director Dee Rees demonstrates, with simplicity and verve, that there's no substitute for authenticity. |
| 173587 | Peter Rainer | Christian Science Monitor | Fresh | B | 2012-01-04T15:52:32Z | 2012-01-04 15:52:32 | The filmmaking is often wayward, the scenes of confrontation sometimes too stagey, but Oduye is a marvelous young actress with a camera-ready face brimming with soulfulness. |
| 173588 | S. Jhoanna Robledo | Common Sense Media | Fresh | 3/5 | 2012-01-04T10:19:28Z | 2012-01-04 10:19:28 | Smart, sad, empowering film about a teen coming out. |
| 173589 | Peter Keough | Boston Phoenix | Fresh | 2.5/4 | 2012-01-03T16:35:02Z | 2012-01-03 16:35:02 | Rees has an intimate feel for setting, rooting her melodrama in precise details while allowing for an expressionistic palette of lurid lighting. |
| 173590 | Ron Wilkinson | Monsters and Critics | Fresh | 7/10 | 2012-01-03T09:18:00Z | 2012-01-03 09:18:00 | Excellent performances by an emerging crew of actors and filmmakers tell a priceless story that struggles to entertain. |
| 173591 | James Berardinelli | ReelViews | Rotten | 2.5/4 | 2012-01-02T11:31:01Z | 2012-01-02 11:31:01 | The movie's point, which is impossible to miss, is that it's hard being black & gay in America and, while there's undoubtedly truth in that sentiment, it doesn't necessarily make for a compelling motion picture circa 2011. |
| 173592 | Laura Clifford | Reeling Reviews | Fresh | B | 2011-12-31T13:06:29Z | 2011-12-31 13:06:29 | Rees shows a real knack...for casting and eliciting strong performances. That and a little touch of story irony make "Pariah" a solid dramatic debut. |
| 173593 | Kimberly Gadette | Doddle | Fresh | 8/10 | 2011-12-30T10:02:47Z | 2011-12-30 10:02:47 | Dee Rees gives us a sad chameleon, cleverly visually drenching her in the colors of her surroundings. Try though she might, the character can only reflect, rather than inhabit, the world around her. |
| 173594 | Brian Orndorf | BrianOrndorf.com | Fresh | B- | 2011-12-30T09:18:51Z | 2011-12-30 09:18:51 | It's a deeply flawed picture, but the core intensity of contemplation and hesitation is outstanding, allowing the characters a life beyond clich. |
| 173595 | Jeffrey M. Anderson | Combustible Celluloid | Fresh | 3.5/4 | 2011-12-30T05:15:05Z | 2011-12-30 05:15:05 | Along with Margin Call, Pariah is the year's most impressive debut film, coming from NYU graduate Dee Rees. |
| 173596 | Unknown Critic | USA Today | Fresh | 3/4 | 2011-12-29T14:49:01Z | 2011-12-29 14:49:01 | The coming-out/coming-of-age story is almost a genre of its own, but Pariah has a fresh and distinctly urban take, anchored by an affable lead performance. |
| 173597 | Geoff Berkshire | Metromix.com | Fresh | 3.5/5 | 2011-12-29T09:25:44Z | 2011-12-29 09:25:44 | Despite a heroine who admirably follows her own path, the movie remains likable but familiar. |
| 173598 | Joe Neumaier | New York Daily News | Fresh | 4/5 | 2011-12-29T09:16:42Z | 2011-12-29 09:16:42 | Something so honest and touching that you're instantly drawn in to its feelings and sense of place. |
| 173599 | Peter Travers | Rolling Stone | Fresh | 3.5/4 | 2011-12-29T08:41:34Z | 2011-12-29 08:41:34 | The gifted Dee Rees makes finding out a stirring and heartfelt journey. And Adepero Oduye is unforgettable. A star is born. |
| 173600 | Marshall Fine | Hollywood & Fine | Fresh | — | 2011-12-29T06:05:49Z | 2011-12-29 06:05:49 | What distinguishes Pariah is less the subject than the performances...These three young women bring a vulnerability and openness that is moving and real. |
| 173601 | Scott Tobias | AV Club | Fresh | B- | 2011-12-29T04:30:21Z | 2011-12-29 04:30:21 | A small-scale, sensitive, humanist character study that's progressive and thoughtful without getting too far out of line. |
| 173602 | Tim Brayton | Antagony & Ecstasy | Fresh | 8/10 | 2011-12-28T18:35:10Z | 2011-12-28 18:35:10 | [The] most important thing elevating Pariah is the outstanding performance of Adepero Oduye. |
| 173603 | Mary F. Pols | TIME Magazine | Fresh | — | 2011-12-28T14:31:06Z | 2011-12-28 14:31:06 | Pariah should be a special, important film for gay teens and their parents. |
| 173604 | Mike McGranaghan | Aisle Seat | Fresh | 3.5/4 | 2011-12-28T14:28:05Z | 2011-12-28 14:28:05 | An example of what makes indie filmmaking great: deeply personal storytelling done with enormous conviction. |
| 173605 | Mary Ann Brussat | Spirituality & Practice | Fresh | 4/5 | 2011-12-28T11:40:13Z | 2011-12-28 11:40:13 | A powerful coming-of-age drama about a creative and inexperienced African-American lesbian who tries to be true to herself. |
| 173606 | David Noh | Film Journal International | Fresh | — | 2011-12-28T10:07:54Z | 2011-12-28 10:07:54 | Dee Rees' funny, deep and tender film about black lesbians definitely earns a place in screen history: a first in many ways, so rich and so beautifully done. |
| 173607 | Alison Willmore | Movieline | Fresh | 8/10 | 2011-12-28T09:09:17Z | 2011-12-28 09:09:17 | Pariah wouldn't work without Oduye's luminous performance, capturing the emotional nuances of a character not prone to letting her emotions show. |
| 173608 | Jason Bailey | DVDTalk.com | Fresh | — | 2011-12-28T05:15:00Z | 2011-12-28 05:15:00 | There is something to be said for movies that show us a scene or subculture we haven't seen before; it's startling to see a story we're so unfamiliar with. |
| 173609 | Lou Lumenick | New York Post | Fresh | 3/4 | 2011-12-28T04:10:13Z | 2011-12-28 04:10:13 | This is a look at the joy, confusion and heartbreak of adolescence that's both culture- and locale-specific and, at the same time, universal. |
| 173610 | Amy Biancolli | San Francisco Chronicle | Fresh | 4/4 | 2011-12-28T04:03:59Z | 2011-12-28 04:03:59 | The film benefits most of all from Rees' careful screenplay, which dances that shifting line between fear and emergent hope. One of Alike's poems says it best: "Even breaking is opening. And I am broken. I am open." |
| 173611 | Betsy Sharkey | Los Angeles Times | Fresh | 4/5 | 2011-12-28T03:59:32Z | 2011-12-28 03:59:32 | Oduye as Alike is "Pariah's" subtle center, with the actress moving seamlessly between the tomboy thrilled to play hoops with her dad to the sour-faced daughter forced to wear pink by her mom. |
| 173612 | Donald J. Levit | ReelTalk Movie Reviews | Fresh | — | 2011-12-27T17:19:38Z | 2011-12-27 17:19:38 | Young people's mumbling and slang will be a stumbling block for mainstream audiences, but the lives and dilemmas of the mostly black and some Hispanic teens go beyond racial-cultural lines. |
| 173613 | Alonso Duralde | TheWrap | Fresh | — | 2011-12-27T17:12:24Z | 2011-12-27 17:12:24 | A moving story that's told with intelligence, heart and a working knowledge of the real world we live in. |
| 173614 | Stephen Holden | New York Times | Fresh | 3.5/5 | 2011-12-27T15:51:59Z | 2011-12-27 15:51:59 | At its heart is an incandescent performance by Ms. Oduye, who captures the jagged mood swings of late adolescence with a wonderfully spontaneous fluency. |
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