Every now and then a movie comes along that makes such an impact, it can punch you right out of your seat. And Precious has got an incredible right hook!
Precious tells the story of Precious (Gabourey Sidibe), an obese teenager in Harlem who is already pregnant with her second child due to constant sexual abuse from her mother’s boyfriend. After her school discovers she is pregnant again, she is expelled, but is offered a place in an alternative school, where she will push herself to do great things. Surrounded by a mother, Mary (Mo’Nique) who hates her because she is convinced she took her man, and a few non-existent friends, Precious throws herself into the world of celebrity. When she is being raped, abused or bullied she imagines a world far different from the one she knows. A world of paparazzi, glitz and glam. It’s what gets her through the turmoil and abuse. Her real world on the other hand, is an incredibly lonely place, but and all too real one for thousands of people around the world. Things only start looking up when she discovers a new teacher, Miss Rain (Paula Patton) who believes in her and subsequently a class room where she actually makes legitimate friends. She gives birth to her second child, and things take a turn for the worse as her mother nearly kills them both with a TV. She gets assistance from her teacher and ends up in a half way house. But the abuse that she has suffered has still gone untold, until one day she tells all to a social worker played by Mariah Carey. The story then takes another dip, which I won’t mention as it is a real spoiler moment, but just when you think life can’t shit on someone anymore…it does!!
The story here is not for the faint at heart. There really are some truly terrifying scenes in this movie, in particular one with the new born baby, which will live with you for quite some time after you leave the cinema. The abuse scenes are also quite horrific, but some are only on screen for a short period of time, but will certainly leave a mark The whole movie is incredibly shot by Lee Daniels. In particular, the scenes in the house where most of the abuse takes place. Its dark, dingy and incredibly dirty. There’s a huge amount of detail in here and it’s in stark contrast to the glitz and glam that Precious dreams about. But its not just the story and how its shot. Precious is elevated to a new height by absolutely incredible performances from it’s cast.
Firstly, there’s Mo’Nique who plays the mother. The hatred she conveys for her daughter is nothing short of breath taking. From the body language to the tone of voice, this is a hatred that runs incredibly deep. It’s toward the end of the movie that you can see why she earned a Golden Globe. But the real star of the show, is Precious herself. Played by an unknown actor who walked in off the street to the auditions, Gabourey Sidibe is just mind blowing. Her performance is so good, its hard to put it into words. Her range is nothing short of superb as life throw’s its ups and many downs at her feet. To be honest, at times she is so convincing that this movie looks more like a fly on the wall documentary than anything else. The rest of the cast are also superb, in particular Lenny Kravitz and Mariah Carey, who both have minor roles but perform like their lives depended on it!
This is destined to be one the great movies of the year. From an Oscar perspective, Its a strange one. It’s got plenty of nominations for other award’s but hasn’t won too much with the obvious win, being a Golden Globe. If there is any justice in Hollywood (I know I’m asking a lot) Gabourey Sidibe is incredibly deserving of a golden bald man in a few weeks! Precious is a raw and incredibly emotional movie that will leave a mark on you for an incredibly long time and is a must watch!
Precious tells the story of Precious (Gabourey Sidibe), an obese teenager in Harlem who is already pregnant with her second child due to constant sexual abuse from her mother’s boyfriend. After her school discovers she is pregnant again, she is expelled, but is offered a place in an alternative school, where she will push herself to do great things. Surrounded by a mother, Mary (Mo’Nique) who hates her because she is convinced she took her man, and a few non-existent friends, Precious throws herself into the world of celebrity. When she is being raped, abused or bullied she imagines a world far different from the one she knows. A world of paparazzi, glitz and glam. It’s what gets her through the turmoil and abuse. Her real world on the other hand, is an incredibly lonely place, but and all too real one for thousands of people around the world. Things only start looking up when she discovers a new teacher, Miss Rain (Paula Patton) who believes in her and subsequently a class room where she actually makes legitimate friends. She gives birth to her second child, and things take a turn for the worse as her mother nearly kills them both with a TV. She gets assistance from her teacher and ends up in a half way house. But the abuse that she has suffered has still gone untold, until one day she tells all to a social worker played by Mariah Carey. The story then takes another dip, which I won’t mention as it is a real spoiler moment, but just when you think life can’t shit on someone anymore…it does!!
The story here is not for the faint at heart. There really are some truly terrifying scenes in this movie, in particular one with the new born baby, which will live with you for quite some time after you leave the cinema. The abuse scenes are also quite horrific, but some are only on screen for a short period of time, but will certainly leave a mark The whole movie is incredibly shot by Lee Daniels. In particular, the scenes in the house where most of the abuse takes place. Its dark, dingy and incredibly dirty. There’s a huge amount of detail in here and it’s in stark contrast to the glitz and glam that Precious dreams about. But its not just the story and how its shot. Precious is elevated to a new height by absolutely incredible performances from it’s cast.
Firstly, there’s Mo’Nique who plays the mother. The hatred she conveys for her daughter is nothing short of breath taking. From the body language to the tone of voice, this is a hatred that runs incredibly deep. It’s toward the end of the movie that you can see why she earned a Golden Globe. But the real star of the show, is Precious herself. Played by an unknown actor who walked in off the street to the auditions, Gabourey Sidibe is just mind blowing. Her performance is so good, its hard to put it into words. Her range is nothing short of superb as life throw’s its ups and many downs at her feet. To be honest, at times she is so convincing that this movie looks more like a fly on the wall documentary than anything else. The rest of the cast are also superb, in particular Lenny Kravitz and Mariah Carey, who both have minor roles but perform like their lives depended on it!
This is destined to be one the great movies of the year. From an Oscar perspective, Its a strange one. It’s got plenty of nominations for other award’s but hasn’t won too much with the obvious win, being a Golden Globe. If there is any justice in Hollywood (I know I’m asking a lot) Gabourey Sidibe is incredibly deserving of a golden bald man in a few weeks! Precious is a raw and incredibly emotional movie that will leave a mark on you for an incredibly long time and is a must watch!
