Precious was finally released to more theaters this weekend and let me say, it was a very raw and beautiful movie. The movie is about Precious (Gabourey Sidibe), an over weight black teenage girl in Harlem. She has two children as result of being raped by her father, is illiterate, and suffers from physical and emotional abuse by her mother (Monique). She starts going to an alternative school in order to get her GED and make a life for herself and her babies.
A movie that packs so much punch and deals with issues such as rape, incest, abuse, HIV, teen pregnancy, and poverty should be seem depressing and dark, but surprisingly the movie is very touching in the way its story unfolds. Thankfully the material never escalates to mellow drama or cliches. The movie is full of imagery and symbolism, as well as fantasies the main character has about how her life should be. My favorite of these devices was in the beginning when Precious looks through a photo album and the pictures talk back to her. While there is beauty to be found, the film also delves into some very dark, graphic places. We see the rape of Precious as her own mother looks on, an infant is thrown around and almost killed to name a few instances.
Performances are strong across the board. Monique is horrifically nasty as the abusive mother, hurling nonstop insults and blows throughout the movie. Towards the movie’s end we see the thought process that goes on inside her mind, as if she is so delusional about her own circumstances that it is causing her to allow all of these awful things occur. Mariah Carey is present and looks about the opposite of her usual glamorous self and delivers a surprisingly touching performance. As the title character, Gabourey Sidibe is strong and represents Precious as a caring, strong, and optimistic person. For this being her first role, Gabourey knocks it out of the park.
So there you have it. The movie is hopeful, graphic, and very shocking, but ultimately courageous and powerful. If you want to experience a roller coaster of emotions, see this movie. I deem it 8/10 sodas.
Wow, what a day and age we live in when a movie staring Monique and Mariah Carey would be garnering Oscar buzz. We are, and that movie is Precious. And seriously, this movie looks intense. I can’t even watch the trailer without getting uncomfortable and instantly loving the titular character. Plus, Mariah wears bad make up and has bad hair. I love it! Tyler Perry and Oprah have joined their other worldly forces to produce, re-solidifying them as the most powerful people on the planet. This makes sense, since they are basically each other but the opposite gender.
