‘Pariah’ Delves Into World of Skinheads

Randolph Kret’s raw, explosive “Pariah” plunges us into the paranoid and brutal world of skinheads. Kret presents them as severely damaged young people so lacking in self-esteem that they’re drawn to white supremacy, bolstered by neo-Nazi slogans and random attacks not only on blacks but also gays and Jews (and no doubt other minorities as well).

Kret views them as ultimately self-destructive, but in the process he’s created a volatile, edgy picture of strong visceral impact. In short, it’s entirely conceivable that some viewers--especially those who might identify with the skinheads--could get caught up in “Pariah” to the extent of disregarding Kret’s critical viewpoint. So it’s not surprising that the film’s brand-new distributor, Indican Pictures, held back the film’s release in the wake of the Columbine High School massacre in Littleton, Colo., and that at the end of the film its makers take the unusual step of including a statement that they do not support skinhead racist views.

Set in an undefined area in the heart of Los Angeles, “Pariah” focuses on a burly young white man, Steve (Damon Jones), whose African American girlfriend Sam (Elexa Williams) is first harassed by a black gang for dating a white man and then is raped by a member of a pack of skinheads as Steve looks on helplessly. Her subsequent suicide seals Steve’s determination to infiltrate the gang and exact revenge. (Her attack took place in a shadowy parking structure; it’s entirely plausible that they wouldn’t recognize Steve, once he’s shaved his head and gotten a couple of appropriate tattoos.)

Sam’s rapist David Lee (David Lee Wilson) is especially vicious and unstable, yet eager for the approval of his gang’s leader Crew (Dave Oren Ward), who’s fresh out of prison. It doesn’t take much for Steve to become accepted in the gang, which lives an aimless existence of hanging out when they’re not venting their collective rage on some victim.

There are some women among the skinheads, and Crew’s deeply troubled girlfriend Sissy (Aimee Chaffin) is smarter than the rest. Will Steve succumb to the very evil he means to avenge, and how will Steve’s presence impact upon Sissy, who connects with him, innately sensing that he is more intelligent and somehow different from the others?

There’s no doubting the ability of Kret--abetted by his go-for-broke cameraman Nils Erickson and driven by the aptly relentless music of composer Scott Grusin, incorporating songs of the punk bands Minor Threat and Social Unrest and others--in working up an audience and drawing persuasive performances from a sizable cast. The film draws upon the experiences of Kret’s brother, whose girlfriend was African American, and also from a gay-bashing experienced by the brother of the film’s co-producer Shaun Hill. Kret doesn’t offer answers but makes it clear that society is at peril if it disregards the forces that drive young people to embrace skinhead gangs and beliefs.

Jones, Wilson, Chaffin and Ward are especially effective. Tragically, the talented Ward’s first Los Angeles opening is his last. On April 2, he was stabbed to death as a result of road rage sparked by an incident that occurred on the Sunset Strip.

* Unrated. Times guidelines: extreme pervasive violence, including rape, extremely strong language, some sex, some drug-taking scenes.

‘Pariah’

Damon Jones: Steve

Dave Oren Ward: Crew

David Lee Wilson: David Lee

Aimee Chaffin: Sissy

An Indican Pictures presentation. Writer-director Randolph Kret. Producers Shaun Hill, Vince Rotonda. Executive producers David Hill, Elaine Hill. Cinematographer Nils Erickson. Editor Bill Deronde. Composer/co-producer Scott Grusin. Costumes Carrie Nicol, Julie Colella. Production design Joint Effort. Art director Jim Donahue. Set decorator Rona De Angelo. Running time: 1 hour, 34 minutes.

At selected theaters.