Director: Lee Daniels
Starring: Gabourey Sidibe, Mo’Nique & Paula Patton
A bleak, yet well performed and memorable drama. Hard to like but filled with impressive performances and provokes strong feelings.
Based on the novel Push, by Sapphire (included in the film’s full title), Precious is a film that seemingly surprised audiences on the film festival circuit in 2009, getting much acclaim for the performances, the film’s subject matter and Lee Daniel’s (producer behind Monster’s Ball and The Woodsman) execution of the story that the film has become an unlikely success despite it’s difficult subject. Precious does live up to much of the acclaim it has gathered as it is certainly memorable though still a difficult film to like.
Claireece Precious Jones (Sidibe) in an obese, illiterate 16 year old girl living in 1980s Harlem. Already tormented by her peers due to her size, education and background, Precious suffers even more at home. Emotionally bullied by her mother (Mo’Nique), being sexually abused by her father resulting in one child already and with Precious discovering she is pregnant with a second, Precious finds her only escape from the horrors of her life in fantasies where she imagines herself whisked away from her pains by handsome heroes or sees herself as a beautiful white woman. When she is kicked out of her current school, Precious is sent to a school for difficult children and finds, in her teacher Miss Blu Rain (Patton) and her social worker Miss Weiss (Mariah Carey) the help to get better educated and build a life away from her parents.
With such difficult themes as rape, incest and the usual themes of kitchen sink style dramas of abusive households and troubled upbringings, Precious is a film that is frequently too grim to like and sometimes runs the risk of being too bleak with the life of Precious Jones feeling unbelievable at times if not for stories that appear in the media highlighting such cases like these in real life. What sets Precious apart from other such films is in its honesty in the emotional damage such lives have upon those living them. Precious Jones is presented as a well realised character and the portrayal of her fantasy life as an escape from her troubles not only adds very interesting and memorable departures from the realities the character faces (one scene where she sees herself in the mirror as a pretty, slim, white girl is particularly memorable in Precious’ belief that such people don’t suffer as she does) but is also a very believable coping mechanism for those suffering emotional and physical abuse. Unlike rags to riches stories like Slumdog Millionaire where suffering leads to a happy ending for the protagonist, Precious doesn’t offer any false attempts at a happy ending though Precious’ life ends in a much better state than it begins, that, along with the strong performances throughout make Precious a film that you will remember, even if you’d rather not dwell on the issues portrayed.
The performances in Precious are mostly quite impressive. Newcomer Gabourey Sidibe gives a strong performance in the lead role of Precious Jones balancing the character’s sadness and depression in her real life with believable joy in her fantasy life and keeping her character sympathetic despite her own flaws and not just because of her character’s experiences. Mo’Nique puts in a frightening performance as Precious’ overbearing mother, a performance at odds with the actress’ stand up comedienne persona and very believable. Paula Patton is fine as the teacher Miss Blu Rain though, perhaps, too nice at times and less memorable amongst the other performances which includes a quite surprising dramatic, and strong, turn from singer Mariah Carey as a tough social worker dealing with Precious’ situation.
Precious is not a feel-good movie but it is an impressive and memorable film with a heart-breaking story and generally strong performances from it’s cast. It is too bleak to really enjoy but is still a stirring drama.
Rating: 4/5
