Claireece Precious Jones (Gabourey Sidibe) is 16, overweight, illiterate, abused by her mother (Mo’Nique) and pregnant for the second time by her father. After being expelled from school due to her pregnancy, Precious clings on to hope when she joins Each One Teach One, a school programme for those with learning difficulties. Determined to improve her education and make a better life for herself Precious is helped along by her inspirational teacher Ms. Rain (Paula Patton) and her new circle of friends. Can she escape from her abusive upbringing once and for all?
Precious is a remarkable, moving and unsettling depiction of one young girl’s unfortunate upbringing and is based on the book Push by Sapphire. To fully realise the character of Precious, director Lee Daniels had to pick the right actress and thankfully he did with newcomer Gabourey Sidibe. Sidibe is the film’s central focus and her performance is nothing short of incredible. She brings Precious’ strength to the surface and the scenes with her mother Mary, played by Mo’Nique, are incredible. One scene in particular sees Precious introducing her baby to Mary and quickly a shocking physical fight ensues. The way that Precious conducts herself and walks out on her mother is an incredible moment of strength, inspiration and determination to change her life.
Director Lee Daniels made the right decision in toning down the depiction of rape that is so shocking in the novel. He shows enough to set the scene and unsettle you but thankfully doesn’t overly linger on it. The storyline for the most part is faithful to the book but along the way a few bits are tweaked (e.g. Mrs Weiss (Mariah Carey) gets a larger role than she does in the book) but it benefits the overall movie.
Aside from the incredible Sidibe, Precious is blessed with a magnificent cast. Mo’Nique is truly fantastic as the horrific mother Mary. Her performance makes you feel disgusted, angry and unsettled. The way Mary treats Precious is unforgivable and Mo’Nique brings Mary’s self-hatred to the fore. Paula Patton is equally impressive as Ms. Rain, the story’s fairy godmother. Patton plays the role with vulnerability and makes it easy to understand why Precious places her trust in Ms. Rain. Lenny Kravitz surprises in a small role as a hospital nurse but it’s Mariah Carey who blows your socks off with a strong performances as Precious’ counsellor Mrs Weiss. No one expected Carey to be any good in the role but she’s truly incredible. With no make-up and some unflattering costumes, Carey proves she is a capable actress and more than holds her own in this small role.
Precious is likely to clear up during awards season. It’s an incredible and powerful movie that you simply must see. A perfect visual representation of Sapphire’s remarkable novel, Precious will be one of the most-talked about movies of the year. Already in the US it has caused a storm and we think it’ll do the same in the UK. Get your hankies at the ready because you’re going to need them.
Read the review of Sapphire's book 'Push' (aka 'Precious')
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