I went to see the highly anticipated Precious last night at Atlantic Station. I was supposed to meet up with my movie club members, but the theatre was beyond PACKED! Plus, in my usual fashion, I was a little late. And fumbling in the dark to find my peers with my popcorn and oversized drink had disaster written all over it. So I settled in a seat a little closer to the screen than I usually do to avoid embarrassing myself in front of 150 strangers.
Before I discuss the movie, I have to make a comment about the Atlantic Station movie theatre. Although I love the fact that it is located in a central location with tons of shopping and restaurants nearby, the fact that it is right above a gym is very annoying. All throughout the movie, I heard (and felt) the dropping of free weights. At first I thought the sound was a part of the movie. But when I felt the trembling, I knew it was coming from the gym below.
Now about the movie: it was really good. If you have not read the book PUSH by Sapphire, the story is about a teenage girl that has suffered abuse by the hands of her biological mother and father, including sexual, physical, and mental. In fact, when the tale picks up when Precious is pregnant for the second time by her father. Once her school principle finds out about her pregnancy, she urges Precious to enroll in an alternative school. At the school, Precious meets Ms. Rain (played by Paula Patton) who provides her with support, encouragement, and love. All the things that she is missing at home. It is at the school that you see Precious blossom. She gains confidence in herself and feels empowered to take control of her life, despite suffering from several set backs. Although the movie does not have a happy ending, you can’t help but feel a sense of relief that Precious is able to escape her oppressive situation and hopefully will be able to give her children a better life than she had.
What I found most interesting about the movie was the break-ways to Precious' daydreams. At first I was distracted by how they were added into the movie. But I soon saw how whenever Precious was dealing with a stressful situation, she would escape from her reality by entering a world where she was loved and felt beautiful. These daydreams added a bit of appeal to the everyday person. I mean how often do you daydream about winning the lottery or being a superstar (or heck, just getting a promotion with a little more pay). Many of us have though about how different our lives would be and you start to empathize with Precious, not as just someone that has suffered tragic abuse and poverty, but as someone that wants to do so much more with their life.
Newcomer Gabby Sidibe did a phenomenal job of bringing Precious to life. She was given quite a job as Precious is often quite in the movie. Often times, she is required to “say” a lot through her actions or facial expressions. But the real breakout performance was by Mo’nique. I was in awe of her tear-jerking performance at the end of the movie. I would not be surprised if Mo’nique is nominated for an Oscar for her role. Bravo indeed!
On a scale of 1-10, I would give Precious a strong 9.