Effectively conveying the life of an obese, illiterate teen, pregnant for the second time by her own father, is hard, but when successful, it’s Oscar-worthy. For the title character of Precious, Claireece ‘Precious’ Jones, “life is hard, but life is precious.” And now, for the young and previously unknown actress who portrayed ‘Precious’ on the big screen, life is good.
Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire, tells the story of a young teen, Claireece ‘Precious’ Jones, at a point in her life where the world has long ago turned its back. Pregnant with her second child, Precious struggles in every aspect of life. She suffers sexual abuse at the hands of her father, physical and emotional abuse at the hands of her mother, and despite being the physically large presence she is, Precious is all but invisible to the rest of society.
The author of the novel from which this film was adapted, Push, was written by Sapphire, also known as Romona Lofton, a poet. First published in 1996, Push is Sapphire’s first novel. American producer and director Lee Daniels took on the task of directing the film adaptation, asking Geoffrey Fletcher to write the screenplay for what would become Precious. Daniels had previously produced the Academy-Award nominated film Monster’s Ball, and made his directorial debut in 2004 with Shadowboxer. Other notable names behind the film Precious include Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey, who are among the film’s twelve producers. Both Perry and Winfrey signed on to provide promotional assistance after the film’s debut at 2009’s Sundance Film Festival. The weight of these two names no doubt helped catapult Precious into the mainstream media as the film to see.
In the past year, Precious has received dozens of awards nominations, most notably perhaps were its six Academy-Award nominations. Fletcher won for Best Adapted Screenplay and Mo’Nique for Best Supporting Actress. Mo’Nique also took home Best Supporting Actress at the Golden Globes and the Screen Actor Guild Awards for her role as Precious’ abusive mother, Mary.
Casting newcomer Gabourey Sidibe in the lead was a brilliant move on Daniels’ part. As talented as an actor or actress may be, their work is often overshadowed somewhat by other prominent and memorable work they’d done. With Sidibe this is not a problem. She has no history in film, we don’t know if she’s ever stumbled out of a bar drunk, she’s never had to go through a very public breakup, and her daily life has, until now, been both unknown and uninteresting to the public. As a result, the audience is able to believe that Gabby Sidibe is Precious.
When we first meet Precious, we’re pulled into one of her daydream fantasies where she walks the red carpet with her “light skinned boyfriend” and is featured in a BET video. Then back to reality. But not the reality so many of us know, instead, we see what is reality for Precious – a sharp contrast Daniels effectively draws throughout the film. In class Precious sits quiet but unengaged in the content. She stands only to smack another classmate. Before long she is summoned to see the principal, and kicked out of the school for being pregnant again. Precious returns home to her abusive mother, who is so void of compassion the audience can nearly feel the cold slap in the face she projects on Precious every chance she gets. The audience is continuously drawn into Precious’ world as we see her raped, beaten, and having to steal food to eat. Cast out by her school, Precious transfers to an alternative school in the hopes of earning her GED. It’s here that she meets Blu Rain, a teacher who relentlessly encourages the self-esteem of her ‘forgotten’ students. It’s also here where Gabourey Sidibe really begins to become Precious. “Love ain’t done nothing for me! Love beat me, made me feel worthless,” she says in a wavering voice that captivates the audience for the rest of the film.
The dynamic between the mother and daughter characters Mo’Nique and Sidibe play is enthralling. A stand-up comic, Mo’Nique proves she can do drama just as well. The audience battles between utter contempt for the character she plays and then pity for this woman who is so damaged.
Frequent flashbacks, coupled with vivid fantasy dreams, complete the audience’s understanding of who Precious is and how she got to this point.
As an openly gay man, who has surely fought many battles of his own, Daniels’ forces what is the grueling reality for all of the Precious’ in the world upon both cast and viewers. Precious is not an emotional film, where scenes are lost among sniffles and the wiping of tears, but rather, it demands attention and the message resonates in both head and heart.
