Friday, April 4, 2025 - 6:00 pm
April 4 - Pariah (2011), 84 minutes, directed by Dee Rees, starring Adepero Oduye, Pernell Walker, and Aasha Davis.
Pariah is a film to love for many reasons. It reveals a world rarely, if ever, seen on film. It offers the thrill of discovering a major directorial talent in Dee Rees. And it rings true in virtually every moment of its modest running length. Lee is a seventeen-year-old black girl from Brooklyn who’s coming to the realization she is a butch lesbian. Her path to self-discovery is complicated by a tense home life, peer pressure, and the ill-intentions of others. B. Ruby Rich of Film Quarterly notes, “The tone is tragicomic, the genre is coming-of-age, and the execution is impeccable.”
Already Pariah has been added to the prestigious National Film Registry honoring films of historical, cultural, and aesthetic importance.
April CinemaLit - Best Films of the 21st Century
CinemaLit is delving into recent film history this month. In 2023, The Hollywood Reporter published an article by six film journalists on the fifty best films of the 21st century so far. Of course this is a work in progress, but it does offer a first glimpse predicting the most enduring films of our time.
Some of them have already shown up at CinemaLit: Pan’s Labrinth (2006), Marie Antoinette (2006), Bright Star (2009), I Am Not Your Negro (2016), Moonlight (2016), and Get Out (2017).
We are happy to add three more to the list. Join us for Pariah (2011) on April 4, Far From Heaven (2002) on April 18, and Children of Men (2006) on April 25. They are a diverse trio, but they share in common a directorial incentive to push boundaries of what movies can be.
Matthew Kennedy, CinemaLit’s curator, has written biographies of Marie Dressler, Joan Blondell, and Edmund Goulding. His book Roadshow! The Fall of Film Musicals in the 1960s, was the basis of a film series on Turner Classic Movies. His most recent book, On Elizabeth Taylor: An Opinionated Guide, examines the screen legend's entire career.
“I don't have a favorite film,” Matthew says. "I find that my relationships to films, actors, genres, and directors change as I change over the years. Some don't hold up. Some look more profound, as though I've caught up with their artistry. I feel that way about Garbo, Cary Grant, director John Cassavetes, and others."
“Classic films have historical context, something only time can provide,” Matt observes. “They become these great cultural artifacts, so revealing of tastes, attitudes, and assumptions.”
Cafe opens at 5:30 pm with wine, beer, sparkling water, juice, and fresh-popped popcorn for sale.
Tickets can be purchased online below, or onsite in Office 406 during the following box office hours:
Monday: 10 am to 6 pm
Tuesday: Closed
Wednesday: 1 pm to 6 pm
Thursday: 12 pm to 4 pm
Friday: 1 pm to 4 pm
Saturday: Closed
Please note: Photos and/or video may be taken during this event.
CinemaLit Films
