Pariah (2011)
90%RT Audience Score: 82%
Awards & Nominations: 13 wins & 30 nominations
Pulsing with authenticity and led by a stirring lead performance from Adepero Oduye, Pariah is a powerful coming out/coming-of-age film that signals the arrival of a fresh new talent in writer/director Dee Rees.
Pariah is a movie that will make you laugh, cry, and feel all the emotions in between. The acting is top-notch, and the directing is superb. It’s a coming-of-age story that’s relatable to anyone who’s ever felt like an outsider. The characters are so real that you’ll feel like you know them personally. It’s a movie that will stay with you long after the credits roll. So grab some popcorn, sit back, and enjoy the ride. You won’t regret it!
Production Company(ies)
Dream Works Animation, Mad Hatter Entertainment, Vertigo Entertainment,
Distributor
Focus Features
Release Type
Streaming, Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
Fort Greene, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for sexual content and language
Year of Release
2012
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 26m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Dec 28, 2011 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 24, 2012
Genre(s)
Drama/LGBTQ+
Keyword(s)
Worldwide gross: $769,552
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $992,125
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,600
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 108,193
US/Canada gross: $769,552
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $992,125
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,192
US/Canada opening weekend: $48,579
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $62,629
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,125
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $450,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $580,151
Production budget ranking: 2,108
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $312,411
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $99,563
ROI to date (est.): 11%
ROI ranking: 1,342
Pernell Walker – Laura
Aasha Davis – Bina
Charles Parnell – Arthur
Sahra Mellesse – Sharonda
Kim Wayans – Audrey
Director(s)
Dee Rees
Writer(s)
Dee Rees
Producer(s)
Nekisa Cooper
Film Festivals
Sundance
Awards & Nominations
13 wins & 30 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (122) | Top Critics (48) | Fresh (116) | Rotten (6)
The acting and directing create a winning combination for unlocking the most powerful tool in social change: empathy.
June 11, 2021
Spectra Speaks
Autostraddle
TOP CRITIC
It has the depth and warmth that you’d expect to see from larger-budget productions…
May 24, 2021
tt stern-enzi
WXIX-TV (Cincinnati, OH)
TOP CRITIC
Pariah was honed over seven years…and the film that results is a stunning achievement.
January 29, 2021
Natalie Duggins
Autostraddle
TOP CRITIC
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.
January 12, 2021
Alyx Vesey
Bitch Media
TOP CRITIC
Each character is so real, like someone you may know, which makes Pariah a real comfort.
September 8, 2017 | Rating: A
Candice Frederick
Reel Talk Online
TOP CRITIC
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?
February 17, 2012 | Rating: 3.5/4
John Anderson
Newsday
TOP CRITIC
Pariah doesn’t strain towards unnecessary drama, finding a sweet spot of unvarnished verisimilitude.
August 1, 2021 | Rating: 4
Kevin Wight
The Wee Review
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.
July 3, 2021 | Rating: 3.5/4
Matt Brunson
Film Frenzy
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…
March 22, 2021
Scott Nye
Battleship Pretension
Pariah is the sort of high quality, under the radar film that seems to always escape the attention of the Oscars.
September 19, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/4.0
Richard Propes
TheIndependentCritic.com
Adepero Oduye is so tender and sincere with her performance … she breathes and lives her character with an element of truth.
August 4, 2020 | Rating: B
Allen Almachar
The MacGuffin
The tone is tragicomic, the genre is coming-of-age, and the execution is impeccable.
February 28, 2020
B. Ruby Rich
Film Quarterly…
Plot
A Brooklyn teenager juggles conflicting identities and risks friendship, heartbreak, and family in a desperate search for sexual expression.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
NA
Dee-Rees.jpg
