Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire is a powerhouse of a movie. From start to finish the movie is like ripping off a band-aid covering a festering, painful wound. It contains moments of such intensity that the full audience I saw the film with regularly gasped as if they were watching a horror movie and knew of the evil lurking around the corner before the character on screen.  No matter how difficult to watch, at its core, the film is a take on the most human of stories about the will and drive of the spirit and the power to unleash what is locked away inside.

Gabourey Sibide as Precious

As is stated in the title, the film is based on the 1996 novel Push by Sapphire.  Relentless in its treatment of the protagonist, Precious, the book hurls every hardship it can conjure up at her to the point where the reader almost wishes Sapphire would just give it a rest.  It is impossibly explicit in its painful details, leaving little to the imagination.  But through the artful prose of Sapphire and the distinct voice of Precious, she was able to create a story that enabled its power to shine through with beauty.

For years, it was thought that the book could not be made into a film, and Sapphire herself turned down a number of offers because no one seemed to be able to get the adaptation right.  Then along came director Lee Daniels, who produced the film Monster’s Ball (which gave Halle Berry her Oscar), and offered up an adaptation of the novel that Sapphire believed would do justice to Precious and her story.

And Daniels delivers big time.  The film captures the horrifying aspects of Precious’ life and injects them with moments that reveal the inner workings of the smart mind that she possesses.  It would have been an easy road to go down to create a Precious worthy of pity from the audience, but instead we are given a character to empathize with, to understand.  To pity her and her life would be of disrespect, and the character that is built in Precious would never allow for an ounce of pity to be wasted upon her.  It is because our heroine is in possession of the spirit and will that no one around her can see that we are able relate to her so well, even if we are unable to relate to her painful experiences.

The film is rooted in the harsh realities of the poverty-stricken, crack cocaine-addled Harlem of 1987.  Discounted by the world around her through abuse, neglect, and ignorance, Precious exists in a world that seems beyond escape.  Meet Precious (Gabourey Sidibe), an obese sixteen year-old, still stuck in junior high, and pregnant with her second child by her own father.  And meet Precious’ mother Mary (Mo’Nique), a monster of a human being who abuses Precious in every way possible- emotionally, verbally, physically, sexually.

Mary spends her days smoking cigarettes, watching television, and making demands of Precious.  She wants to perpetuate the cage that binds her by forcing it into Precious’ life.  Drop out of school and get on welfare she tells her.  No one like Precious is going to get anywhere in the world, so give up now.  By giving up, Mary knows that she will be able to shackle Precious to her and her existence for years to come, and she does all that she can to beat the life out of her.

A math teacher and principal at the school Precious attends can see a glimmer of hope behind her old eyes, and recommend her for an alternative school for troubled girls.  Mary does all that she can to discourage Precious from attending, but she can’t be stopped.

Precious’ small class is made up of troubled girls from different backgrounds, and provide her with an education into the world beyond her own.  The class is taught by a tough-as-nails teacher by the name of Blu Rain (Paula Patton) who pushes her students into the self-confidence needed to become academically successful in her class.  But Blu’s goal is to make them into successful women in society, and to escape the lives that have led them into her class.  It is in this classroom that Precious begins to break out.

But make no mistake, this movie is not another Stand and Deliver or Dangerous Minds.  Blu Rain acts as a powerful catalyst in Precious’ life, but the achievements at hand are owned fully by Precious.  Those people who act as the forces of good that enter Precious’ life are not the makers of her advancements, they are the facilitators and supporters.

Effective in supporting roles as the others that help Precious are Lenny Kravitz as a male nurse, Mariah Carey as a social worker, and Sherri Shepherd as the receptionist in the alternative school.  Along with Blu Rain, these supporting characters represent the social system at work, being successful at catching those who otherwise might fall through the cracks.  The heroes of Precious are not Prince Charmings whisking Precious away, or Fairy Godmothers giving her a makeover, they are instead the everyday people who entered their professions to be heroes in the lives of others.

Mo'Nique as Mary

The three lead performances by Sidibe, Mo’Nique, and Patton are absolute knockouts.  Patton creates in Blu Rain a teacher whose love of her students is shown through the toughness and effort that she puts into them.  When she briefly lets down her guard, Patton delivers to us an intensely emotional portrait of a teacher whose love and regard of her students knows no bounds.

In her role as Mary, Mo’Nique has taken herself from charismatic comedian to courageous actress.  She tackles her role with such horrifying and believable ferocity that Mary becomes the necessary monster in Precious’ life.  This is a role that many actresses would be afraid to take, and many more would be unable to do.  Pay close attention to Mo’Nique’s final monologue and you will find that she has created a nuanced portrait of an otherwise cruel human being.

But Sidibe above all else has brought to life a Precious of such power that she has done incredible justice to Sapphire’s novel.  This is an actress of incredible talent, and she carries the capacity to deliver to the audience a memorable and beautiful character.  The novel was titled Push because it is about the capacity of Precious to push herself into the person she desires.  Sidibe so exquisitely impresses this upon the audience that you feel the push right along with her.

Director Daniels has brought to the screen a beautiful film.  He has upheld the creative and artistic integrity of Sapphire’s vision, and with his camera has added interesting explorations into the mind of Precious.  Daniels, who is gay, has stated that he was able to find his own story in Precious, the story of fighting against the voices around you trying to keep you down.  This is why the film connects.  In one scene, we see Daniels create the pain of longing to be someone else.  Standing in her mirror, Precious brushes her hair and sees a beautiful white girl with blond hair in the reflection.  It is heartbreaking.  But this is not a depressing film by any stretch.  It is difficult and disturbing certainly, but seeks to uplift and succeeds in doing so

The film never loses its footing. There is no lotto winning moment, no man to pull Precious out of her reality.  Instead, the steps to her success are subtle and slow.  The seemingly smallest gains are the largest.  When Precious arrives in Blu Rain’s classroom, she is asked a serious of questions.  Blu asks her, “How do you feel?” She responds, “Here. I feel here.”

Precious is currently playing in select theaters across the country. It opens in wide release on Friday, November 20. Check www.weareallprecious.com for further details.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

While I cannot find a trailer for it, I am recommending the 1945 film  A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by director Elia Kazan as the DVD pick of the week.  While a much different story, it is a lovely telling of a girl overcoming her difficult life in early 1900s Brooklyn.  It shares in its message the power to lift oneself out of a world that has only held one back.  It is one of Kazan’s early classics.  I also recommend a reading of both the book that this film is based on and the novel Push.