Wednesday, December 9, 2009

"Precious" soars on its performances and honesty (4.25/5)


Someone once said to me that they only go to the movies to escape from everyday life; not to embrace it. I guess that is a rather valid statement. After all, if someone wanted to experience the trials and tribulations of life they simply had to look at themselves. But our own lives are not representative of anyone else's but our own. Much like books, newspapers, television or any other medium, film not only allows a form of escapism, but opens us up to different walks of life. Such a life is that of Clarice Precious Jones, the title character of writer/director Lee Daniels' "Precious".

"Precious" tells the tale of a 16 year old girl who lives an un-charmed life. When the film opens up, Precious is living in Harlem in the late 80's. Precious can't really read or write and she's pregnant with her second child. Because she is pregnant, Precious is suspended from school and is coerced into going to an alternative school so she can get her GED. To make matters worse though, her second child has come at the hands of her father, who has used her as a means to contain his own sexual desires. Lastly, as if things could get any worse, Precious has a volatile relationship with her mother who verbally and physically abuses her on a day to day basis. Things look very grim for Precious, yet what Precious has is the intent to live a better and more loving life, a life where she is a starlet; loved by everyone in the world. It's this ideal and her desire that propel her past acts of abuse and rape. Even if it may seem far off considering the circumstances, it gives Precious a reason to breathe.

And it's this desire that pushes Precious to change her life. Such a change begins when she goes to the aforementioned alternative school and finds herself in a class that pushes her to not only grow from an educational standpoint, but one that challenges her to see that she is worth something after all. It's at this point, where there is a struggle between Precious' moments of jubilation at school and trials of hell at home, Lee Daniel's film succeeds. It succeeds because Daniels is able to effectively demonstrate the affects a loving or a monstrous environment can have on a person. Playing out much like a psychological case study, Daniels creates a gritty, stirring look at not only inner city life, but also abusive relationships and he does so with grace. Never does he make the character of Precious seem pitiful or overly sympathetic. Instead he is able to create three dimensional environments and characters, where one can not only breakdown how Precious came to be, but also how her main abuser (her mother) progressively became a monster.

This notion is especially important considering it keeps "Precious" from becoming your typical 'after school special' film. It rarely goes for those overly dramatic moments, it doesn't offer up sage like wisdom at the end about socioeconomic status, and it doesn't hang its characters on one note stereotypes. It's a living, breathing piece of life. Now, this is not to say that Daniels has crafted the perfect film. At times some of his scenes slip into the melodramatic, but when he fails, it's the performances that keep his worst scenes a float. Featuring a cast full of many surprises (i.e. Mariah Carey, Lenny Kravitz, Mo'Nique), "Precious" is a film full of strong performances. Yet, none are better than that pf Gabby Sidibe and Mo'Nique, who play Precious and Precious' mother respectively. Ms. Sidibe's performance is quite amazing considering this is her first real acting role. Sidibe is not only able to handle the tough material, but she is also able to create a character that is authentic and real; not a Hallmark movie event in the waiting.

Accompanying Sidibe in the rank of great performances is Mo'Nique who delivers a tremendous turn of her own. Mo'Nique, mostly know from her comedic performances, will turn heads. Her performance is so dark and so intense, it honestly made me wonder if this was really "the Mo'Nique". Her performance is one of the more complex roles in the film and she flat out owned it. In many respects her character could've come across as just a villain, but as demonstrated in her final scene, Mo'Nique is able to create a character that goes beyond a villain and becomes a faulty human being with major psychological issues who we can on some level sympathize with. If anything Mo'Nique's performance is representative of the entire film: it refuses to be a film that takes the easy way out with cliché archetypes and cable television dramatics.

"Precious" is quite harrowing, and most people will walk in knowing the film will not be tied up into a pretty bow, but that's what most endearing about precious. It's not escapism, it's real life. It shows us a life we've probably only seen from a stilted perspective. Furthermore, it allows us to not only search for a sense of hope within anguish, but to also appreciate our own lives. After all, things could always be worse. This aspect is what makes films like "Precious" a worthy experience. Certainly, it's a hard watch, but one that's all the more enriching and powerful as it opens us to a life that is just as troubling, but just as hopeful.




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