December 28, 2009 -- “Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire” is a powerful, imaginative film about the rise of a young woman from the depths of despair to the heights of self fulfillment. It is a tough, gritty story about a young woman who is sexually, physically and emotionally abused. Precious (played by Gabourey 'Gabby' Sidibe) is obese and is the mother of two children by the time she is 16 years old, both the result of incest. She is HIV positive. She is ridiculed at her inner city school, and by her own mother, Mary (Mo'Nique of “Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins”) who continually tells Precious she is stupid and worthless.

Despite all this, Precious has a dream to become someone loved and admired. The film goes into colorful fantasy sequences, where we see Precious the way she wants to be seen living the life she wants to live. Then she is forced back into her dreary reality. Everyone else has given up on her, but she hasn't given up on herself, or her children. A sympathetic teacher gets her into an alternative high school where she at last learns how to read and write. She begins to raise herself up and to dream of a better life for herself and her children. She is able to harness the power of hope. There is one more big hurdle to cross, however. She must escape the crippling influence of her mother. She finally summons the courage to escape her abusive home, but not until after she has a very scary physical showdown with her mother.

This is just one of the several powerful emotional scenes in the film. Another is when Precious confronts her mother in a social services office with caseworker Mrs. Weiss (Mariah Carey of “Glitter”). Mary confesses to knowing about incest and the sexual abuse of her daughter and admits she did nothing about it. She also admits she hated her daughter because of jealousy. Her confession is heartbreaking. Another powerful scene has Precious pouring out her overwhelming problems in class. The acting performances by Gabourey Sidibe and Mo'Nique are simply electrifying in these scenes. I was surprised by Mariah Carrey's performance in this film. She doesn't have the reputation of being a good actor, she's a good singer, of course, but she does a fine acting job in this film. Also good are Paula Patton as the teacher, Ms. Rain and Lenny Kravitz (another musician) as Nurse John. Director Lee Daniels (“Shadowboxer”) and screenwriter Geoffrey Fletcher use elaborate fantasy sequences and some other imaginative touches in this film to give us insight into what is happening in the mind of Precious. It isn't just a straightforward presentation. It is a complex, imaginative, fully realized vision. This is one of the year's best films. It rates an A.

Click here for links to places to buy or rent this movie in digital formats, or to buy the soundtrack, posters, books, even used videos, games, electronics and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

Copyright © 2009 Robert Roten. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.

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