Pariah (1998 film)

Synopsis

The gang-rape by a group of neo-Nazis of an African American woman, Sam (Elexa Williams), triggers her suicide. Her caucasian boyfriend Steve (Damon Jones) finds little recourse other than to plot revenge, and decide to infiltrate the gang. As a member he gains insight into the factors behind the neo-Nazi movement, but he is eventually confronted with the choice of committing a murder to prove his loyalty or reveal his cover.

Production

Randolph Kret wrote and directed the film which is based on an incident from the life of a friend. The Scott Grusin film score includes songs by anti-racist hardcore bands Minor Threat, Social Unrest and the Wives.

Reception and review

Roger Ebert wrote that "Godard said that one way to criticize a movie is to make another movie. Pariah, a raw and unblinking look at the skinhead subculture, is a movie I'd like to show to those admirers of Fight Club who have assured me of their movie's greatness." Ebert gave the film three out of four stars. The Los Angeles Times called the film "a volatile, edgy picture of strong visceral impact."TV Guide called it a "well-meaning but ridiculous revenge drama". Bill Gibron of DVD Talk rated it 3/5 stars and wrote that while the film is realistic, it may not entertain viewers. In a negative review, Michael Atkinson of The Village Voice wrote, "Kret clearly has his heart in the right place: Hate Is Bad. If only being right were all you needed." On Rotten Tomatoes the film has a rating of 47% from seventeen reviews.

New York Times reviewer A. O. Scott commented that the theme of an "ordinary, tolerant white person going undercover into a world of extreme race-hatred" was a promising one and adds that the movie opens with a voiceover of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. warning that "racism is a sickness unto death". He compares Pariah to the 1988 Constantin Costa-Gravas film Betrayed starring Debra Winger and Tom Berenger which had a similar plot. He also wrote, "Racist extremism is a problem. We need movies that address it. Chances are you already agree with these propositions. All Pariah succeeds in doing is screaming them at you, at maximum volume, over and over and over."

Release

The Randolph Kret written and directed film was screened at the 1998 Slamdance Film Festival before a limited theater release.