Pariah(2011)
dir. Dee Rees
A Brooklyn teen writes herself out.
Where to watch: Rent/buy: Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video per unSUB (no prices shown); subscription listings conflict (Netflix per unSUB, likely stale; Starz per Pickle). No free/library listing found. Checked 2026-11-06 via unSUB/Pickle only, not JustWatch; verify before publishing.Letterboxd ↗
Alike is seventeen, a poet in Brooklyn, and slowly telling herself she is a lesbian. At home, her mother watches her closely and her father looks away, while at school she tries to figure out who she can be. Rees expanded her own short film into a debut about faith, family and the work of coming out while still living at home.
Why it’s here
It's a film about a teen who writes her way into herself. What's punk is that nobody rescues Alike except Alike and a poem. What's pedagogical is how closely it watches a family that loves her and can't cope. Pairs with Funny Boy, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe and The Poet X. Note: R-rated; homophobic harassment and a violent scene between mother and daughter; older teens and adults. English.
Where This Film Lives
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