Tuesday, April 20, 2010

PRECIOUS:
BASED ON THE NOVEL PUSH BY SAPPHIRE

Gabourey Sidibe, Mo'Nique, Mariah Carey, Paula Patton,
Sherri Shepherd, Lenny Kravitz


"Life is Hard. Life is Short. Life is Painful.
Life is Rich. Life is ... Precious"



Clareece 'Precious' Jones (Gabourey Sidibe) has a tough life. She is obese, illiterate and at only 16 years of age she is pregnant with her second child. The sad part is her own father raped her and sired both her children. She lives in Harlem with Mary (Mo'Nique) her abusive mother who incessantly insults her daughter. Precious is invited to enroll in an alternative school. At the school, she connects with her classmates and through a caring teacher Miss Rains, she hopes that her life can head in a new direction.

This film was difficult to watch. There are scenes where Mary maligns her daughter verbally. Never uttering any word of encouragement or support, she is quite harsh and cruel. But Precious is special. She absorbs all the verbal abuse yet she never admits defeat. Her indomitable spirit shines through as she is prone to daydreaming as a means to escape from her miserable life.

Gibourey Sidibe is so natural as Precious. Her smile is infectious. Her portrayal of Precious is sympathetic. While Mo'nique was quite effective as well. It must have been tough for a stand up comedienne to essay such a mean character but she did it with conviction. The supporting cast which includes Mariah Carey, Lenny Kravitz and Paula Patton all performed their roles brilliantly.

So although the film has a depressing tone. There is an underlying sense of triumph for the lead character. Her dreams of raising her children in a right environment is very inspiring. My only issue with the film are the escapism scenes where Precious acts our her dreams, visually. They were intrusive and didn't vibe well with the serious nature of the film. Otherwise, this is definitely a film worth seeing!

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