[3] It tells the story of Alike (Adepero Oduye), a 17-year-old Black teenager embracing her identity as a lesbian.

[5] Alike ("Lee") is a seventeen-year-old Black girl who hangs out at clubs with her openly lesbian friend Laura.

Alike slowly and firmly comes to terms with her own identity as a butch lesbian, comfortable in baggy clothes and male underwear.

Arthur comes back late a few times from work, which angers Audrey and the two of them fight often.

Filming took place in and around New York City, predominantly in the Fort Greene neighborhood in Brooklyn.

The website's critics consensus reads: "Pulsing with authenticity and led by a stirring lead performance from Adepero Oduye, Pariah is a powerful coming out/coming-of-age film that signals the arrival of a fresh new talent in writer/director Dee Rees.

"[7] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 79 out of 100, based on 34 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

[8] The New York Times film critic A. O. Scott wrote that to watch Adepero Oduye play Alike "is to experience the thrill of discovery."

On the announcement, Rees remarked "I'm moved and excited to be coming back to where it all began and celebrating this special anniversary with the Institute ... From the lab advisors, to the fellows, to the audiences, Sundance was that magically supportive and generous community that enabled Pariah to be born in the world and it’s always a joyous, heady feeling to return.