Hostage Situation || Open
Three weeks.
Three weeks since Serenity had seen anyone. Three weeks since she’d been stripped for a random man’s pleasure.
Two weeks since the last time she’d be beaten for information that she couldn’t and wouldn’t give.
When gun shots reached her ear a sort of calm came over her. She sat up despite her broken ribs and bloodied wrists. The cuffs around her wrists cut back into the tender flesh, making them bleed once more.
Hearing the door open she began crying out “Help” as loud as she could manage through her dehydration.
Pariah....can i fall in love with a character?
Film has always been a fantasy of mine. Not necessarily to make a film, but rather, get lost in one. I love when stories are presented to me on a sincere platter of imagination…or, if the story is supposed to be “true” or autobiographical…that the reality is something I can either align myself with, or still be a part of because the development is just so fucking good!
Pariah…my latest adventure! Last night, i went to an advanced screening…and was really happy that it wasn’t THAT packed. It was just crowded enough to enjoy and not have to be on top of others. Anyway, the storyline was basically about the coming out story of a young Black girl (17) and the many struggles she went through or had to face, while processing her sexuality and where her comfort lies within herself.
Struggles
- herself
- friendship with Laura…bestfriend
- Mother
- Father
- beana…potential love/like interest
- poetry
Without giving away the story, there were many themes to be explored. My first issue with the film. There was too much to focus on at one time. Too many story lines and unnecessary scenes. When I took a fiction writing course, my professor stated that within every story (didn’t matter the format) there needed to be an arc. And, this arc would help shape and identify the main conflict and key players. There always needed to be a central character and supporting characters that would assist this central character in telling the MAIN story of conflict.
I say all of this to express how much I loved the main character…BUT, i was left with a whole bunch of questions and assumptions about her interaction with other characters such as the ones mentioned above. I don’t like that. I guess, there are lots of films that end open ended, but this isn’t one of them….and I’m confident in writing that because the ending was supposed to be satisfying…like, yay!..girl goes on to be who she feels best at being! And, I totally support anyone who does what they want without the concern or interruption of others. YET…the build up to that point is what left me unsatisfied :-(
This arc in Pariah, had a lot of humps…a lot of emotional dialogue I could not account for from previous scenes. Worth seeing though!!! I can’t wait to engage in more conversation about Pariah, because it was a good film…it just didn’t allow me to grow or move with some of the characters…and in any good story…characters should be well rounded and not flat. Great first film! Looking forward to more from the Director/Writer!
