Psychology Today Finds PARIAH Very Sane

In a piece on PsychologyToday.com, Ravi Chandra brings a different slant to thinking about Dee Rees PARIAH. He brings a psychological perspective on the main character Alike and what the film means to modern audiences. In the end, he finds the film "psychologically powerful and brilliant." Even though Alike (Adepero Oduye) has to struggle to find her identity, Chandra ultimately finds:

She is anything but ashamed of herself. She finds her voice in her writing; her poetry gives the movie its final lift of buoyant hope. I especially liked that there were no stereotypes in this movie; every character seemed three-dimensional and real; there was truth in the storytelling. I also liked that Alike's identity was more than simply her sexual preference; she is student, daughter, sister, friend, writer and woman. I hope this movie can help start conversations among people of all ethnic backgrounds about acceptance and love of family members who are gay, lesbian, transgendered and queer.