{Pariah} dinner & a movie

The Center for LGBT Life and African American Studies will be showing "Pairah" in the Center for LGBT Life at 6:00 PM on September 11, 2012. Dinner will be provided!"At its soulful heart, 'Pariah' is a stinging street-smart story of an African American teen's struggle to come of age and come out. Writer-director Dee Rees has a distinctive style and strong voice. The film's pace is set by an infectious, insistent hip-hop beat, with director of photography Bradford Young wielding the camera like an unsympathetic paparazzo. Rees has been smart in the way she's constructed Alike's world. Adepero Oduye as Alike is 'Pariah's' subtle center, with the actress moving seamlessly between the tomboy thrilled to play hoops with her dad to the sour-faced daughter forced to wear pink by her mom. She makes all of her character's discomfort with life believable, from the pain of rejection to her fumbling, and sometimes funny, attempts at being 'the guy.' There is a real tenderness to the film, especially as Alike navigates those first tentative moves at not just sex, but love ¿ all the conflicting emotions of actually falling for someone. Rees in turn gives ¿Pariah¿ a surprising and empowering maturity." ~ Los Angeles TimesWatch the trailer: http://focusfeatures.com/pariah/videos