"Pariah" is a 2011 film written by Dee Rees and revolves around the life of a 17-year old African American lady, Alike, played by Adepero Oduye, living with her parents, Arthur played by Charles Parnell and Audrey by Kim Wayans and her younger sister Sharonda by Sahra Mallesse (White, 2015) . The family resides at Brooklyn's Fort Greene. Alike slowly starts embracing her sexuality as a lesbian with support from her best friend, Laura, played by Pernell Walker. Alike is determined to get through adolescence despite her challenges due to her sexuality; she keeps moving forward. This paper focuses on the varieties of cinematography techniques and experiences in the film "Pariah."
Color and Lighting
The film's lighting and colors change in ways that portray how Alike comes into herself. The color and lights change from each scene. For instance, while at the club at the beginning of the film, she is shed by the dim purple lights, on the way home, she is illuminated by green lights, while at home by brown and pink colors and while in the school's bathroom by grey (Kohan, 2019) . Alike shifts from color to color to portray the struggle she undergoes to understand where she truly belongs. When Alike understands and appreciates who she is, she begins to get illuminated by a clear and white color at the end of the movie.
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Symbolism
Symbolism is used in various instances in the film. When Alike is on the bus heading home from the club, she changes her clothes (Rees, 2018) . This symbolizes the struggles she is going through since she does not resonate with who she is while at home but has to put up with that version of herself. While at home during one scene, Alike is at the dinner table in a closed-up focus while her mother is behind her, but she is not focused on her daughter (Rees, 2018) . This symbolized the disconnection between Alike and Audrey due to sexuality Alike. Another instance of symbolism in the film is when the teacher tells Alike that she needs to go deeper into her poetry after reading her recent poetry (Rees, 2018) . This symbolizes that Alike is holding herself from expressing who she is to her parents and society.
Angle and Size of Shots
The film director uses the special effect of change in angle and size of shots to relate to the development and acceptance of the Alike of her identity. The limitations of freedom that Alike encounters are demonstrated through the narrow and "tight" shots at the start of the movie. However, after Alike breaks down after getting hurt by Bina, her shots begin to get wider. After the hurt, Alike reveals the full image of her body for the first time in the film (Kohan, 2019) . The widest shot is expressed while talking to her father at the rooftop of Laura's house, telling him that she finally chose to focus on her personal and educational goals.
Musical Selection
The film adopts special effects of music, and every musical preference in the film is on point and unexpected, thus acting as a perfect tool for enhancing the audience's experiences. The soundtracks are appropriately selected according to the mood in the particular scene. For instance,20 minutes to the end of the film, the musical is one of the memorable ones in the movie as it was a moment of crisis for Alike. "Yet it all seems so strange in the daylight," the soundtrack connects with the setting in the scene, a morning after a blissful night (Kohan, 2019) . The musical rages with discordant electric guitar and abrupt cuts.
References
Kohan, S. (2019, May 08). PARIAH: Identity & awareness as a family matter. Retrieved April 05, 2021, from https://www.filminquiry.com/pariah-2011-review/
Rees, D. (2018, April 21). Pariah (film) symbols, allegory, and motifs. Retrieved April 05, 2021, from https://www.gradesaver.com/pariah-film/study-guide/symbols-allegory-motifs
White, P. (2015). Pariah (2011): Coming Out In The Middle.
