Some people are lucky and grow up in healthy, prosperous families with good jobs, good education, and a life filled with love. Then there are some who are not so lucky, living near of the bottom of the barrel with poor income and trudging through harrowing lifestyles with parents who have seemingly nothing but darkness in their heart. That is the basis of this heartbreaking, yet unusually uplifting drama directed by Lee Daniels. Following the story of an underage with a home style that can only be described as unpleasant and with an unfair future in sight, this film strikes at your heart with gruelingly powerful storytelling with strong emotional resonance. And Daniels accomplishes the story without diving into the pratfalls of emotionally contrived clichés. Part of this is thanks to the rewarding performances by Gabourey Sidibe, who is making her feature film debut, and Mo'Nique who is firing with a performance that simply cannot be ignored. Set in the poor neighborhood of Harlem in 1987, this film follows Clareece "Precious" Jones (played by Gabourey Sidibe), an overweight sixteen- year old girl who is pregnant with her second child after being raped by her father. She is attending school while living a poor home life with her extremely poor excuse of a mother Mary (played by Mon'Nique) who beats her, calls her horrible names, and yells at her to quit school because she is too "dumb". If that's not bad enough, she doesn't even have a job, she just collects welfare checks. When she is transferred to an alternative school and enrolls in an English class taught by Mrs. Rain (played by Paula Patton), she is opened to a glimmer of hope for her future. That is if she manage to balance being a mother and excelling in school, which she manages to ask advice for by her social worker Ms. Weiss (played by Mariah Carey).
Lee Daniels knows the heart of its source material, and he breathes life into triumphant results. Based on the acclaimed novel 'Push' by Sapphire, this somber, yet deeply moving drama offers a realistic and heart-stirring account of an underprivileged girl trapped in the shackles of an unfortunate home life in the uprooted by her mother who does nothing but sits in front of the television, smokes, and treats her daughter like garbage for reasons that are revealed late in the story. Her life captured partially through a series of both happy dream sequences of her being a Hollywood star and harrowing flashbacks of her and her father. Both of which paint a picture of her a psychological state. The relationship between her and her mother functions as part of the emotional crux of the story, followed by her life-changing journey of mothering a second child while facing the ramifications of her past. It is a deeply powerful story that almost never holds back on pulling at your heart strings. Yes, there are some moments of levity, but they come few and far in between. And the performances placed some icing on the cake. Gabourey Sidibe is incredible as the eponymous character, channeling her depression and confusion in a role that doesn't understand her. It is Mo'Nique however, that supplies the acting gold here. This actress scarfs down her role with overwhelming ferocity without feeling overly manipulative or exploitative with anger. Each scene she is present is difficult to watch, particularly in during the final scene with Sidibe and Mariah Carey, who also plays the scene quite well. Paula Patton is also very charming in her role, full of humanity and heartfulness. And let's not the forget singer Lenny Kravitz in the role of a nurse who the title character fantasizes about in a few scenes. At the end, viewers are blessed with a message that in the midst of living an unholy lifestyle, there is always a silver lining and light at the end of the tunnel whether you see it or not.
Precious is a heartbreaking, yet triumphant picture soaring with powerful emotional swing uprooted by uncompromising performances by an inspiring cast. It is a movie that will grab your heart and never let go, even after it reaches the end credits. Do not feel remotely embarrassed if you find yourself reaching for the tissues. There is a true heart and soul to witnessed here.
Lee Daniels knows the heart of its source material, and he breathes life into triumphant results. Based on the acclaimed novel 'Push' by Sapphire, this somber, yet deeply moving drama offers a realistic and heart-stirring account of an underprivileged girl trapped in the shackles of an unfortunate home life in the uprooted by her mother who does nothing but sits in front of the television, smokes, and treats her daughter like garbage for reasons that are revealed late in the story. Her life captured partially through a series of both happy dream sequences of her being a Hollywood star and harrowing flashbacks of her and her father. Both of which paint a picture of her a psychological state. The relationship between her and her mother functions as part of the emotional crux of the story, followed by her life-changing journey of mothering a second child while facing the ramifications of her past. It is a deeply powerful story that almost never holds back on pulling at your heart strings. Yes, there are some moments of levity, but they come few and far in between. And the performances placed some icing on the cake. Gabourey Sidibe is incredible as the eponymous character, channeling her depression and confusion in a role that doesn't understand her. It is Mo'Nique however, that supplies the acting gold here. This actress scarfs down her role with overwhelming ferocity without feeling overly manipulative or exploitative with anger. Each scene she is present is difficult to watch, particularly in during the final scene with Sidibe and Mariah Carey, who also plays the scene quite well. Paula Patton is also very charming in her role, full of humanity and heartfulness. And let's not the forget singer Lenny Kravitz in the role of a nurse who the title character fantasizes about in a few scenes. At the end, viewers are blessed with a message that in the midst of living an unholy lifestyle, there is always a silver lining and light at the end of the tunnel whether you see it or not.
Precious is a heartbreaking, yet triumphant picture soaring with powerful emotional swing uprooted by uncompromising performances by an inspiring cast. It is a movie that will grab your heart and never let go, even after it reaches the end credits. Do not feel remotely embarrassed if you find yourself reaching for the tissues. There is a true heart and soul to witnessed here.