I really enjoyed watching Pariah and I think the movie did a wonderful job expressing Alike’s changes as she started to better understand herself.

The movie tells the story of Alike, and toward the beginning of the movie, it seems as though her main goal is to lose her virginity, as her friend Laura is helping to land her another girl in the party scene. As Laura and Alike continue to party at clubs, Alike’s mother continues to grow more and more upset with her daughter for not acting in the perfect image that her mother, Audrey, has made up in her mind.

The movie includes a lot of relatable aspects, even for those who are not queer. Anyone who has had their differences with a parent, whose parents have constantly fought, or anyone who has ever changed their own image in order to fit in with their friends will find their place in this movie.

Audrey and Arthur, Alike’s father, end up fighting, and after making sure her little sister is safe, Alike tries to stop them. In a horrific scene, Audrey ends up continuously hitting her daughter, acting as the final blow in their deteriorating mother/daughter relationship.

While this movie includes a lot about her familial relationships, Alike also discovers more about who she wants in a friend, and how she wants to act. She meets Bina, and the two girls grow close. Alike quickly grows feelings for her new friend, and the two end up hooking up. The morning after, Bina makes sure Alike knows that she isn’t “gay gay” and that she is just “doing [her] thing.”

The frustrating relationships with Bina and Audrey bring Alike a new meaning of both her writing and her life.

Importance of Names

Especially with Alike being a writer, it is clear that words have a multitude of meanings in this film. One thing that stands out is Alike’s name, along with who calls her what.

Alike’s mother, Audrey, uses the name Lee frequently, flat out refusing to call her by her given name. I feel like the use of Lee can mean a few different things, all of which make Audrey out to be the villain (which she is, so…).

The first thing it clues the audience in to is Audrey almost pleading to be closer to her daughter. She constantly tries to be closer with her, trying to hang out with her and buy her new clothes, that she of course approves of. This never seems to work, but her last effort is the use of a nickname, creating the false pretense of familiarity with her daughter. Sure, the nickname is ultimately more masculine, but it forcibly connects her to her daughter, something she strives for.

The second thing that it brings up is Audrey desire for control. The use of a nickname allows her to use more force when using her given name, Alike. When Alike goes to talk to her mother at the very end of the movie, Audrey calls her Alike for the first time that we see on screen. This change, which one might not even notice, was enough to bring tears to Alike’s eyes. She hadn’t been fond of her mother’s use of a nickname, but Audrey quickly taking that away was jarring. She used her clear power to say something so simple and manipulate Alike’s emotions.

Writing and Growth

The one character that I had high hopes for was Bina, a creative schoolmate that Audrey made Alike hang out with. The tow of them got along really well, and soon after becoming friends, Bina started pushing for things to become more sexual. She was the first to kill Alike, and after that, she was the one to push for sex. I had really hoped that it would go well, especially after Alike’s best friend Laura had expressed that she was glad that Bina made Alike happy.

The morning after they had sex, Bina was a completely different person. She became so cold, turning on Alike and saying that she wasn’t actually gay. She, like Alike, has the pressure of her Christian parents, and that is clearly affecting her in a different way.

Alike manages to take this, along with the trauma of her mother, in stride. She grows from it, and finds an opportunity to continue with her education in an advanced writing program, where she can start fresh.

The final poem that she reads in her English class is incredibly moving. The knowledge that Bina is also in this class, and yet as viewers the focus is solely on Alike, is so powerful. We get to see Alike as she does not run, but she chooses to leave, and we only get to see her perspective, as it is the only relevant one.

Works Cited

Rees, Dee, director. Pariah. Focus Features, 2011.