Courtesy of Lionsgate
Newcomer Gabourey Sidibe is amazing in the title role.
How will you spend your Thanksgiving break?
When Hollywood travels to the gritty parts of the urban landscape, it can feel artificial. But in "Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire," that's not the case. The film bathes us in a specific, authentic milieu rather than crafting a sugar-coated façade of hardship.
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Lenny Kravitz (left) plays Nurse John in 'Precious.'
Produced by Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry, the film eavesdrops on a bitter and cruel slice of Harlem — a cold, mad place marked by few gains, much loss and an overwhelming dearth of hope. Director Lee Daniels and screenwriter Geoffrey Fletcher paint this absorbing, crushing universe, following the intricate outline provided by poet and Harlem teacher Sapphire.
Our heroine is Clareece Jones (Gabourey Sidibe), better known by the nickname "Precious." Instantly, the film bludgeons you with horrifying details about her life: Precious is 16 and pregnant for the second time by her own father; soon, she is diagnosed HIV-positive. Her first baby daughter is afflicted with Down syndrome and named "Mongo," short for Mongoloid. Her mother is a monster-on-wheels, a modern Medusa whose sole preoccupation is the next welfare check rather than her daughter's well-being. And even though Precious collects decent marks at school, she can barely read or write.
After becoming pregnant again, she is booted from her classes. At this point, Precious seeks out the alternative school Each One, Teach One. She doesn't understand what "alternative" means, but it's a worth a shot for a better life. There, she meets her inviting but firm teacher, Ms. Rain (Paula Patton), who gives her the encouragement she needs to pull herself out.
Sidibe stuns in her introductory role, delivering a searing character portrait. Precious may be broken, but she possesses a silent strength. Her face is expressionless, but her eyes burn brightly with ambition and anger. The film's closing segments don't speed toward a happy ending but continue hobbling from one struggle to the next, leaving the audience to marvel at her courage, heart and determination.
Daniels uses a documentary style, giving us an omniscient view. The camera tiptoes around this terrifying world with extraordinary depth and ambition. When Precious and her world grow too dark, fantasy sequences are a welcome break. She is shown bellowing out gospel tunes in church, trading dance moves with a hunk and embracing the red carpet spotlight at a premiere. These sequences punctuate the most harrowing situations, humanizing her in a profound way.
This is Daniels' second time in the director's seat, and he handles the source material with surgical precision. He has an iron resolve to be honest with his characters and their stories. He never loses his balance, shying away from neither the rawness of the environment nor the brightness of its glimmers of hope. "Precious" stays in the real world, keeping its cynicism and its brilliance.
