Real Film: “Precious”

I love filmmakers who dare to "go there" with their work, who aren't going to push the "feel good" element that makes it okay when you leave the theatre. In reality, life is not a movie and sometimes things don't work out okay. Precious is not the kind of film that can be made "feel good". It exposes some of the starkest elements of the things we all wish would just go away, that we can bury in an unassuming place and not confront. "Precious" is a film whose time has come. Brilliant, dark and decadent, I found myself immersed in the middle of broken lives and dreams, not watching a film. This is one that you can't say, "It's only a movie", because there's just too much reality in it.

With "Precious" we are in a jarring multi-faceted world of hopelessness with hope, dreams without promise and escape without leaving. Mo'Nique's portrayal of Mary, a sadistic, disheartened mother is worthy of every accolade and award available for a performance that was bare bones and in your face. She pulled her portrayal from an abyss that was so dark, it was terrifying. One can see that Mary, in her abusiveness is the victim of her own concept of self-worth, which she attempts to pass on to her teenage daughter. I found symbolism in the way that Mary thrived in her dark apartment with the curtains drawn, but once she was later brought into the light we can see a little of who she was before her world had crashed and beginnings of her victimization. It appears that from Precious her mother and grandmother, a cycle was being set into stone.

I don't think there was one time that I saw anyone "acting". Everyone in this film "worked" their part. I didn't see Mariah Carey, I saw Mrs. Weiss, didn't see Lenny Kravitz, I saw Nurse John. As for Gabourey 'Gabby' Sidibe, I can't say enough about her being a natural. She played Precious with a familiarity and understanding that is breathtaking for a new talent. I have seen many of her interviews and she is a charmer, far from the "heroine" that she portrays. Yes, Precious is a heroine for her endurance and perseverance in spite of the odds against her.

For me it was well worth the drive to see it, as it opened on Friday, November 6 with a limited run in theaters. That's the only thing that I didn't like about this film: an assumption that it couldn't pull an audience if it premiered in all theatres. Precious is one film that does not have to prove itself. I was a part of an audience of people from all walks of life and I was drawn to it from the first time that I saw the trailer. I'm sure I'm not alone as a viewer who fell under its spell.

As I sat in the theater with my oldest daughter, (my movie watching buddy since she was a kid), a myriad of feelings came to me. It was wonderful to watch this film with her, knowing we would be passing the Kleenex, but more so the blessing of being there with her; the sheer contrast of the film's mom and daughter relationship in a life that is not always good to all people. Precious is worth it on every level.