Pariah (the Movie)

[puh-rahy-uh] noun 1. A person without status 2. A rejected member of society 3. An outcast

the investigator and i got to see a special screening of this film last night and i just want to say dang.

dang.

do you know how many coming-out-of-age films i see every year? as a big gay filmfest submissions screener i can tell you that if i had a dollar for every one of them i would be at least a several-thousandaire. alas,  i was lucky enough to see the short film Pariah is based on a few years back and it made me cry then. i remember thinking, this gal better get a feature out of this - lo and behold. and yes, it made us cry this time around too so take your tissues.

director Dee Rees is a newbie, but with $500k and a lot of talent Ms Rees is one to watch out for. despite what they want you to believe, Hollywood establishment is as racist as an old southern country club and studio executives will likely cast their eyes askew at the critical acclaim the film has so far produced. all the more reason you need to get your ass in a theater seat come December 28 to support both the filmmaker and the film with your cash money at the box office. and don't let the fact that Spike Lee produced the film scare you away - this shit is real. real black. real butch. real youth. real queer. real real.

even if Pariah was a trash heap of bad acting and garbled sound i might be telling all y'all to run out and see it simply because this is a story that rarely gets told. lucky for you its full of wonderful performances by fresh new faces (especially Pernell Walker as the best friend) and a tight soundtrack. need more convincing?