A quiet film that will astonish you: Pariah

I wasn't sure I'd like Dee Rees's "Pariah," and I would definitely say don't be put off by the graphic nature of the first scene, in a black Lesbian NYC nightclub - it is by no means an exploitative or sensational movie - it's a very low-budget indie and, like most good indies, it tells a very simple story about a few characters leading ordinary but troubled lives: in this case it's about a teenage girl just coming to terms with her own sexuality, and by the pressure she feels on all sides from so-called friends who betray her and misunderstand her, by fellow students who are cruel and mocking, and most of all by her parents, a black family in, I think, maybe west Harlem or Morningside Heights, the mom in particular with social aspirations - the parents are not bad people, but they don't know how to react to their daughter's growing and evolving sexuality, which leads to some real conflict between them and finally a tremendous family fight. Within this very tight little plot structure there's a lot of emotion and drama, and you'd have a heart of stone if you don't feel for the young girl - but it's by no stretch schmaltzy or sentimental - feels as real as a documentary. Truly a film that knows exactly what it wants to accomplish and does so perfectly. Not a big knockout film but a quiet one that will astonish you I think. Too many people would write this off as a film that wouldn't appeal to them because of the subject, but the subject isn't homosexuality, it's life and maturity and families and race and class and education. Memorably, at the end, the young girl, about to leave her familiar life, says she's not running away, she's choosing. Very smart conclusion to this surprisingly strong film.