Director: Lee Daniels
Starring: Gabourey Sidibe, Mo’Nique, Paula Patton, Mariah Carey
Running Time: 110 minutes (plus trailers)
"Love ain't done nothing for me"
Lee Daniels film Precious (full title Precious: Based on the Novel “Push” by Sapphire) follows the life and struggles of Clarice Precious Jones, a sixteen year old African American girl who lives in Harlem New York.
Re-read that opening sentence.
Now, from the description I’ve just given you I want you to stop and think to yourself: what do you think this movie is about? Based on the words “sixteen year old African American girl who lives in Harlem”, what do you Precious’s story is like? If your mind goes a bleak and horrifying place, don’t feel bad. Mine did too, and apparently so did Sapphires, because this truly is one of the most bleak and horrifying stories you will witness in theatres all year. Winner of the People’s Choice Awards at the Toronto Film Festival – an award that twelve months prior was won by that year’s Oscar winner Slumdog Millionaire, Precious is a heartbreaking drama that explores the depths of human suffering and the struggle to rise above it, and features some of the year’s most memorable performances, not to mention revelatory, from its female cast members.
Make no mistake; this film is the stuff suicides are made of. The circumstances of Precious’s life, depicted in brutal, unflinching detail, are absolutely horrendous, so much so that many have accused the film of perpetuating negative racial stereotypes. I can’t speak to that (as what do I know about racial stereotyping), but what I can say is that if you’re mind did go to where I think it did, you weren’t far off the mark. If you take every horrifying thought that came into your mind when that premise was laid out to you, then you pretty much have this film. Illiterate and morbidly obese, Precious lives with her physically and emotionally abusive mother. The only time her father is ever seen in the film is when he is sexually assaulting her, something that he has been doing regularly since she was an infant. Precious is pregnant with her second child by him – the first, a boy, was born with down syndrome, and a result of her pregnancy, Precious is suspended from school and forced to go on welfare; something that her mother encourages, insisting that that is all she will ever be good for.
And that’s just the beginning of the movie.
When a film has subject matter like this, it has the potential to strike powerful emotional chords, to touch and inspire us in a very deep level. On the other hand, when a movie centre’ itself around a prominent and perhaps controversial social issue (or as in this film it seems, every prominent and controversial social issue), it runs the risk of turning into a sermon. Although Precious comes very close to the line on more than one occasion, thanks predominately to its sensational cast, it ultimately does the former. All four of the main actresses are fantastic; most of the critical attention has been payed to Mo’Nique, a total unknown here in Australia, recognized by many American’s for her comedic roles in films such as Beerfest, Soul Plane and Phat Girlz. I can’t say I’ve had the pleasure of seeing any of those, although based on their reputations I might be remiss in my use of the word “comedic”. But while her prior credentials may not impress me, her work in this film is absolutely astounding. As Precious’s abusive mother she plays one of the most vile and despicable characters of the decade, and yet by the end of the film, which concludes with a tour de force scene that makes her a shoe in for this year’s Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, you cannot help but pity her character, despite her actions being completely unforgiveable.
Equally impressive is newcomer Gabourey Sidibe as the films heroine; present in almost if not every scene in the film, the movies success relies on our ability to sympathize with her character and thankfully Sidibe is excellent in the role. There were one or two scenes that didn’t quite work; for someone who supposedly reads at the level of a seventh grader, Precious is sometimes a bit too articulate to believe, which caused one of the films biggest emotional scenes (between her and her teacher) to ring false. But the fact remains that although the dialogue didn’t always work, Sidibe makes you believe that the emotions her character expresses are totally genuine. The cast is rounded out by Paula Patton as Precious’s inspiring teacher (although I think most of the films faults lie with her to-good-to-be-true character, she still gives a great performance) and Mariah Carey as a cynical but ultimately compassionate social worker. This is another character that could have fallen flat, but Carey is (believe it or not) absolutely terrific as perhaps the movies most identifiable character.
Some critics have taken issue with some of the stylistic choices of director Lee Daniels, claiming that his camera work draws attention to itself to the detriment of the story. Now I am actually a big fan of visually interesting (“flashy”) film-making, and most of the time I don’t mind being aware of the director’s presence. The stylized direction and editing of this film worked for me most of the time; the close ups of food cooking, or the repulsive way that the rape scene is filmed are two of the most memorable stylistic choices Daniel’s make, both of which I felt aided in giving us a grotesque appreciation for Precious’s grimy living conditions. There are points where he is a little too intrusive (some of the fantasy sequences go too long), but overall, while I don’t know if he deserves the Oscar nomination he recently received, I don’t think it’s as a big a problem as some people have made it out to be. And most importantly, in the films biggest emotional climax (Mo’Niques final scene), he wisely reigns himself in and lets the performances stand on their own. And it is the acting that makes this movie. It is the work of Patton, Carey, Mo’Nique and Sidibe, not Daniels, that has stuck with me, and given me reason to recommend it so highly.
Precious is in theatres in Australia now
Starring: Gabourey Sidibe, Mo’Nique, Paula Patton, Mariah Carey
Running Time: 110 minutes (plus trailers)
"Love ain't done nothing for me"
Lee Daniels film Precious (full title Precious: Based on the Novel “Push” by Sapphire) follows the life and struggles of Clarice Precious Jones, a sixteen year old African American girl who lives in Harlem New York.Re-read that opening sentence.
Now, from the description I’ve just given you I want you to stop and think to yourself: what do you think this movie is about? Based on the words “sixteen year old African American girl who lives in Harlem”, what do you Precious’s story is like? If your mind goes a bleak and horrifying place, don’t feel bad. Mine did too, and apparently so did Sapphires, because this truly is one of the most bleak and horrifying stories you will witness in theatres all year. Winner of the People’s Choice Awards at the Toronto Film Festival – an award that twelve months prior was won by that year’s Oscar winner Slumdog Millionaire, Precious is a heartbreaking drama that explores the depths of human suffering and the struggle to rise above it, and features some of the year’s most memorable performances, not to mention revelatory, from its female cast members.
Make no mistake; this film is the stuff suicides are made of. The circumstances of Precious’s life, depicted in brutal, unflinching detail, are absolutely horrendous, so much so that many have accused the film of perpetuating negative racial stereotypes. I can’t speak to that (as what do I know about racial stereotyping), but what I can say is that if you’re mind did go to where I think it did, you weren’t far off the mark. If you take every horrifying thought that came into your mind when that premise was laid out to you, then you pretty much have this film. Illiterate and morbidly obese, Precious lives with her physically and emotionally abusive mother. The only time her father is ever seen in the film is when he is sexually assaulting her, something that he has been doing regularly since she was an infant. Precious is pregnant with her second child by him – the first, a boy, was born with down syndrome, and a result of her pregnancy, Precious is suspended from school and forced to go on welfare; something that her mother encourages, insisting that that is all she will ever be good for.And that’s just the beginning of the movie.
When a film has subject matter like this, it has the potential to strike powerful emotional chords, to touch and inspire us in a very deep level. On the other hand, when a movie centre’ itself around a prominent and perhaps controversial social issue (or as in this film it seems, every prominent and controversial social issue), it runs the risk of turning into a sermon. Although Precious comes very close to the line on more than one occasion, thanks predominately to its sensational cast, it ultimately does the former. All four of the main actresses are fantastic; most of the critical attention has been payed to Mo’Nique, a total unknown here in Australia, recognized by many American’s for her comedic roles in films such as Beerfest, Soul Plane and Phat Girlz. I can’t say I’ve had the pleasure of seeing any of those, although based on their reputations I might be remiss in my use of the word “comedic”. But while her prior credentials may not impress me, her work in this film is absolutely astounding. As Precious’s abusive mother she plays one of the most vile and despicable characters of the decade, and yet by the end of the film, which concludes with a tour de force scene that makes her a shoe in for this year’s Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, you cannot help but pity her character, despite her actions being completely unforgiveable.Equally impressive is newcomer Gabourey Sidibe as the films heroine; present in almost if not every scene in the film, the movies success relies on our ability to sympathize with her character and thankfully Sidibe is excellent in the role. There were one or two scenes that didn’t quite work; for someone who supposedly reads at the level of a seventh grader, Precious is sometimes a bit too articulate to believe, which caused one of the films biggest emotional scenes (between her and her teacher) to ring false. But the fact remains that although the dialogue didn’t always work, Sidibe makes you believe that the emotions her character expresses are totally genuine. The cast is rounded out by Paula Patton as Precious’s inspiring teacher (although I think most of the films faults lie with her to-good-to-be-true character, she still gives a great performance) and Mariah Carey as a cynical but ultimately compassionate social worker. This is another character that could have fallen flat, but Carey is (believe it or not) absolutely terrific as perhaps the movies most identifiable character.Some critics have taken issue with some of the stylistic choices of director Lee Daniels, claiming that his camera work draws attention to itself to the detriment of the story. Now I am actually a big fan of visually interesting (“flashy”) film-making, and most of the time I don’t mind being aware of the director’s presence. The stylized direction and editing of this film worked for me most of the time; the close ups of food cooking, or the repulsive way that the rape scene is filmed are two of the most memorable stylistic choices Daniel’s make, both of which I felt aided in giving us a grotesque appreciation for Precious’s grimy living conditions. There are points where he is a little too intrusive (some of the fantasy sequences go too long), but overall, while I don’t know if he deserves the Oscar nomination he recently received, I don’t think it’s as a big a problem as some people have made it out to be. And most importantly, in the films biggest emotional climax (Mo’Niques final scene), he wisely reigns himself in and lets the performances stand on their own. And it is the acting that makes this movie. It is the work of Patton, Carey, Mo’Nique and Sidibe, not Daniels, that has stuck with me, and given me reason to recommend it so highly.
Precious is in theatres in Australia now
