We all have our fair share of problems. We all face our own personal inequities and inconveniences, be they mild or severe. But many of us have it easier than we think, despite our constant complaining, and we fail to realize that there are plenty of people out there who have it a lot worse than us. People who suffer greatly in ways that we can't imagine, and yet trudge through their lives as if it was business as usual.
Claireece "Precious" Jones is one such individual. An illiterate, morbidly obese African-American teenager from 1987 Harlem, Precious lives with her monstrous, abusive, and domineering mother Mary, who treats her like a slave. Precious was also twice raped and impregnated by her father and Mary's boyfriend. Her first child was born with Down Syndrome, and the revelation of her second pregnancy has Precious kicked out of her high school. Precious' only escape from her cruel existence is fantasizing of a glamorous life as a celebrity.
Still feel like complaining about your feeble problems?
Regardless, there's no question that director Lee Daniels' adaptation of the novel by Ramona "Sapphire" Lofton is a tremendously powerful, raw, and ultimately uplifting work of art benefiting from superb direction and two powerhouse lead performances.
From the very beginning, Precious (newcomer Gabourey Sidibe) has suffered a thankless, horrific life. When we enter her Section 8 apartment in the Harlem projects, we become witnesses to true domestic hell. Her mother Mary (Mo'Nique) is a brutal, slovenly, tyrannical welfare-queen who orders Precious around like a servant. Hurling demeaning insults at her daughter, Mary regards Precious with utter disdain.
School life isn't any easier. Precious is unable to read, and seems to have no real future. After being expelled from her public high school when it's discovered that she's pregnant again, Precious is referred to an alternative high school, where there's hope that Precious may have a fighting chance to change her life. It's there that Precious meets her new teacher, Ms. Rain (Paula Patton), whose encouraging, kind, and caring nature gives Precious hope that she can free herself from her harsh life and cruel mother.
By far, Precious is one of the bleakest films I've ever watched. Though it takes the form of a Cinderella-style story, there's no usual Hollywood schmaltz or pitfalls common in movies featuring disadvantaged black protagonists (such as the "mighty whitey" Caucasian who arrives to help the main character out). Director Lee Daniels keeps the film grounded in reality, and its authenticity is supplemented by a slew of terrific performances.
In her acting debut, Gabourey Sidibe is a true revelation. Though Precious maintains a mostly emotionless physical facade, her pain and suffering is apparent. Sidibe creates a truly moving, sympathetic character with whom the audience connects with from start to finish. Paula Patton is wonderful as Precious' loving teacher, and a shockingly glammed-down Mariah Carey does a fine job as Precious' social worker (a surprising reversal from her awful performance in 2001's much-ridiculed Glitter).
But if there's one performance here that's deserving of any accolades it's given, it's that of comedienne Mo'Nique as Mary Jones. Now, I've never been a fan of Mo'Nique's comedic style. I've always found her to be grating, obnoxious, and stereotypical in her many lowbrow film and TV performances. But my opinion of her talents were changed for the better after viewing her turn as the ultimate domestic monster. Yet despite the negative qualities of the character, Mary is a completely three-dimensional character with at least some humanity buried underneath her cruel exterior.
A problem that Hollywood's usually faced with is the tendency to make films easy for the audience to swallow. They present the unrealistic notion that there's always a happy ending involved, even when they try to be as realistic as possible. But while Precious never goes down that route, it still presents the possibility that there's hope for us all, because, as the opening title card states, everything is a gift of the universe. A harrowing, heartbreaking, but ultimately uplifting experience, Precious is one of the best films of 2009, and a terrific testament to perseverance and the power of the human spirit.
Letter Grade: "A"
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