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MOVIES
She has a tough time at school, but most importantly, her mother's boyfriend has raped her repeatedly resulting in one child and another on the way.
Joyce: The first child has Down's Syndrome and has been given the name "Mongo". The child actress appeared to be authentic. Fortunately, the child is being taken care of by her caring grandmother.
Rico: Precious" mom, of all things, is jealous. She wanted her lowlife drug addict boyfriend all to herself. The relationship, if you can call it that between mother viciously played by the comic "Mo'Nique and Precious, played by Gabby Sidibe is nothing less than horrifying. Incidents like this may happen, and surely do, but I don't need to see them. They are not a part of my world.
Joyce: Well, horrifying or not, that is precisely what this film is about--a slice of life no one should have to lead. Of course, its theme is quite controversial amongst especially the black community, because some are claiming it feeds into a stereotypical depiction of ghetto people.
The other side of the coin is that these awful lifestyles do exist to some extent and we should to be aware of it. You should consider carefully before going to see it.
Rico: It's a very difficult film to watch, and I wouldn't have seen it but for the favorable press it's been getting, and because of the subject matter.
I knew I wouldn't like it - and I didn't! Sometimes the under belly of life deserves to be hidden and kept secret. I can't imagine anyone who would enjoy it, let alone like it.
Joyce: Apparently film festival audiences are raving about it. It got awards at both Sundance and the Toronto festivals. It is riveting, extremely realistic (too realistic for me) and I was glad I had read enough about it to be prepared to put up my psychological shield, because I kept saying to myself, "how could this happen for so long without someone intervening? How do these monsters get away with this behavior? But remember, this was the status of the welfare system in 1987. I can only hope it is somewhat better today.
Rico: The only bright light I saw was the teacher Ms. Rain, played by the lovely Paula Patton. She alone, brought some hope to the film.
Joyce: Thank goodness for Ms. Rain, her teacher at the alternative school where Precious is transferred -- for bringing out the best in Precious -- a ray of light desperately needed for her good and for the film audience's ability to stay with the horrific story.
Rico: Good acting? Yes, by most in the cast. They make it believable, but I think most of film goers will be enticed by the hype and come away more disturbed than inspired.
Joyce: If you want to be entertained, this one is definitely not for you. It earned an R rating for child abuse, sexual assault and pervasive unacceptable language. It has a couple of stunning scenes both acting and subject matter wise.
But I'm still not happy I saw it.
***
Rico: The power of film to entertain, inform, and educate is abrogated here. It seems to be a gratuitous display of the worst life has to offer.
Sure the teenager is somewhat redeemed at the end, but the experience she has to go through doesn't make it worth while.
I gave it * and a strong caution. Red light
Film: Precious
Director: Lee Daniels
Cast Includes: Gabourey "Gabby" Sidibe, Paula Patton, Mo'Nique, Mariah Carey, Sherri Shepherd, Lenny Kravitz
Genre: Drama
Running Time: 110:00
Rated: R child abuse including sexual assault, and pervasive language
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