Pariah Film Analysis

Recently released film Pariah (2011) delves into the journey of exploring sexuality. From intimacy, sexual identity, sensuality, and sexual behavior this biopic shares a coming of age stories of self-discovery and human connection. Written and directed by Dee Rees, Pariah is a 2011 American art drama film. In 2011 it premiered at Sundance Film Festival and was awarded the Excellence in Cinematography Award. These works not only give Blacks who are living outside of the heterosexual normative a form of self-representation in cinema, but it provides a refreshing consideration of the multiple forms of oppression (race, class, gender, and sexuality) that Black homosexuals face outside of the traditional one-dimensional lens of being just homosexual. Through an undeniable black and undeniable queer narratives, Pariah traces their protagonist, Alike’s journey of finding sexual identity to journey that three-dimensional and mirroring to life. Pariah tells the story of Alike, a 17-year-old African-American from Brooklyn embracing her identity as a lesbian. She struggles in accepting her own sexuality and balancing the acceptance of friends and family, all while dealing with heartbreak and finding her identity. While …show more content…
These stories provide a space to not focus on victimization, but a space to create and share their own stories. This new found emergence of sharing experiences outside of the heteronormative is refreshing, in recognizing marginalization, initiating dialogue, and hopefully providing a space of grieving and healing. Within the field of Black Studies the exploration of the influence of heteronormativity is essential in considering how gender, identity, relationships and sexuality are framed for it is important to consider the how these heteronormative norms shape homophobia and transphobia and how this phobias perpetuate