I finished the movie Precious a few
minutes ago. I knew it already, since I saw it in the theatre 3 years ago, and still I am experiencing the dire need to give someone hell because
this world can be a sick place sometimes. It is needless to say that
Precious is a very upsetting movie that some people will find unbearable to
watch.
Clarice “Precious” Jones (played by
Gabourey Sidibe) is an illiterate, heavily overweight, African-American teenage
girl who lives with her mother in the ghetto of Harlem, New York. She is
pregnant with her second child. The father of both children is her mother’s
ex-boyfriend – Precious’s own dad. Her mother (played by comedian Mo’Nique who
won the Oscar for this role) is unemployed and abuses Precious physically and
emotionally mostly because her ex-boyfriend was less interested in having sex
with her than in raping her daughter (yes, seriously).
When her principal finds out about
Precious’s second pregnancy, she takes her out of school and wants her to
attend an alternative school project. This project finally opens a window and
Precious slowly begins to learn that there are actually people who care for
her.
Precious has been compared to The
Color Purple, and yes, there are a few parallels. Both movies are Cinderella
stories set in an African-American background. I would say that Precious is just as cruel –
but surprisingly less of a tearjerker – and appears to have a more realistic
ending. It is one of the few movies which are hard to describe as “great!”
because it is just so depressing and sickening. Why should you watch it then?
Well, because it is wrong to close your eyes at other people’s suffering. And because
this is one of the movies with a perfect cast and impressive acting performances.
That’s why.
RATING: 5/5
