Precious

A teacher stands at the front of a room full of girls. She tells them that they are going to get up, say their name, where they are from, their favorite color, and something that they do well. The first girl gives her answer, but does not stand up. She is ridiculed by a classmate. The second girl won’t participate because she says it’s stupid. Precious, asks to be excused, and the next girl gives her answers in a bubbly effervescent manner. Precious reconsiders and asks if she can give her answers now, but she leaves off the part that tells what she does best. When she is asked again, “Precious, what are you good at?” She replies, “Nothing.” The teacher starts to correct her, but something in Precious’ face makes her stop. Then Precious adds, “I’ve never spoken up in class before.” The teacher responds, “How does it make you feel?” Precious replies, “Here. It makes me feel like I’m here.”

Precious is about the invisible people. If you saw Precious walking down the street you would see a large obese girl, with very dark skin, and her chin jutting out as if she was daring you to take a swing. In the classroom she does nothing to attract attention. Instead she retreats into a fantasy world where she is loved, admired and respected. A world she has never known in her young life.

When Precious, at 16, becomes pregnant with her second child, she is kicked out of school and sent to an alternative program. Here, her abusive life and circumstances are revealed, and for the first time she finds compassion and self-worth. She discovers that she is, indeed, precious.

This film is based on the book Push, written by Sapphire. It became a festival favorite and won several audience awards, but it wasn’t until it received the endorsement of Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry, that is has been granted a theatrical release. Although the film deals with a very heavy subject matter, the tone of the film has many colors. The home life scenes are gut wrenching, but the fantasy sequences give us another Precious. They show us potential, they show us spirit, they show us a Precious as she could be. This film is about the inner life of those people that we write off, it is also a nod to the men and women of education and social services who refuse to stop trying to reach the unreachable.

There are some extraordinary performances in this film. Mariah Carey is almost unrecognizable as Mrs. Weiss, a social worker, and Lenny Kravitz has a small effective role as a male nurse. Paula Patton is the caring, perceptive, and ferocious teacher who champions Precious and turns her life around. But the most notable performance that everyone is talking about is Mo’Nique as Mary, Precious’ abusive mother. Mo’Nique throws all vanity aside to play this despicable parasite of the Welfare system. It is only her raw, multi-layered performance that keeps her from being totally unsympathetic. You’ll still hate her, but with a little understanding.

I can’t call Precious an entertaining, fun night out at the cinema. But it would be an evening well spent, drudging up lots of emotions and topics for conversation. The humor in the film keeps it from being unbearable, and the performances keep it from being maudlin. This is a well written film that is finely directed and deserves the attention it is receiving. I highly recommend it.

Rating: First Run A look inside the neglected and abused