Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire

Despite having one of the most ungainly titles in recent memory, Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire (which will be referred to as simply Precious from now on, for obvious reasons) is a fairly straight-forward, but no doubt powerful film. Relative newcomer director, Lee Daniels, gives his urban drama plenty of flare, emotion, and fiery performances. Would have been nice to have some subtlety added to the mix, but this is still an enjoyable film.

The movie's drawn a lot of hype since hitting the film festival circuit back in January. It's won words of gushing praise from critics, has already racked up a number of awards (and is expected to maybe earn a few more come Oscar time), and was able to get the financial backing of two of the most powerful people in the African American entertainment community, Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry, who are credited as producers. With all this build up, it's easy to be a little disappointed. Yes, this is a very good movie, but not a great one. Precious relies a little too heavily on grand melodrama and inner city cliches to be seen as something truly groundbreaking, as some are gushing. One aspect that is worthy of the glowing praise, however, is the lead performance by young newcomer Gabourey "Gabby" Sidibe as the title character. She brings a silent and steely presence to her character, while still managing to be heartfelt and sympathetic. Her portrayal may be easily mistaken for being blank or underperformed, but there is a lot of quiet grace to her take on this teenage girl who is in over her head when it comes to the world around her.

Precious is 16 years old, weighs over 300 pounds, is mostly illiterate, and about to give birth to her second child. The father of both of her children is also her own father, who is never seen except in brief flashbacks when she thinks back on the times he raped her. Her name almost seems to be a cruel joke, as everyone around her sees her as a source of ridicule and resentment. The kids at school largely ignore her, and her mother (Mo'Nique) abuses her every way she can think of. Her mother's name is Mary, and we can tell from the beginning that a lot of the abuse stems from hatred and loathing, both of herself and of Precious. When we learn the source of the hatred during a monologue Mary gives at the end of the film, it's truly one of the more heartbreaking film moments of the year. Mo'Nique gives an almost operatic performance, turning her character into a true force of menacing nature. And yet, there is a crushing element of humanity to her performance. She resents the strength her daughter shows during the rare moments Precious stands up to her. Maybe she is offended by the idea that her daughter could be stronger, or perhaps better than her.

The contrast between Precious and Mary is how they approach the rage they feel. Precious is quiet, content to blend into the background. Of course, that's hard, given her enormous appearance. The only time she seems to resent her weight is when it prevents her from just disappearing into a crowd, which she often wants to do. Mary, on the other hand, attacks the world and everyone around her with a certain ferociousness. Cruelty is the only way she knows how to survive. As for Precious, she gets a slight glimmer of hope when she is approached by a teacher named Ms. Rain (Paula Patton), who has a special school for troubled teens in desperate circumstances. This is not a story of redemption, however. Precious does not necessarily achieve her dreams, and find an entirely new life, though she's certainly better off by the end. The cruelty is still all around her, she just finds new ways to deal with it.

One of the things I liked about Precious is how it faces the hopelessness of its young heroine's life with a dark, honest, and surprisingly bleak tone. There is some comic relief here and there, which never once seems out of place, but for the most part, there is an honest and gritty feeling throughout. Only when the movie slips into melodrama (there are a couple moments that seem to be intentionally designed to be used as "Oscar Clips") does the feeling of hard-hitting honesty subside, but these moments are fortunately brief. The two lead actresses truly bring us into the mind set of their characters, and are backed by a very strong supporting cast, including an unrecognizable Mariah Carey as a social worker. One thing that's interesting to note is that the cast is made up of almost entirely women. Aside from a minor role by recording artist Lenny Kravitz as a male nurse, men are mostly kept in the background. As I mentioned before, Precious' father is only seen in brief fleeting glimpses, though his presence hangs over the entire movie. He is what drives the motivations of the two lead women.

Precious is a film that could have gone wrong so many ways. It could have gotten too caught up in its own feelings of despair, and become an unpleasant experience. But, director Daniels and first-time screenwriter Geoffrey Fletcher perform a tricky balancing act of drama, tension, and surprisingly sharp humor. There are also some extended fantasy sequences, where Precious escapes from reality, that are imaginative and sometimes very funny. The script constantly finds the right tone for each scene, and if there was any mild disappointment on my part, it is most likely due to inflated expectations from the advance word of mouth. This is obviously a very well made film, but it does sometimes feel like we've seen it all before in a number of other inner city dramas. That doesn't take away from the fact that this is a very good example of the genre.

My only hope is that filmmaker Tyler Perry learns something from the movie he has helped reach the big screen. This film does so many things right that he has frequently done wrong in his attempts to mix humor with human drama and tragedy. I can only believe that he saw something special here, and put the time he spent talking to director Lee Daniels to good use. Even though the movie has his name in the credits, this is the kind of film Tyler Perry probably wishes he could make.

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