I was finally able to see a film that I have been meaning to see for the last few weeks or so called Precious. Director Lee Daniels has been involved in a few very small, yet powerful films. He was the producer on Monsters Ball and The Woodsman as well as director of the somewhat overlooked film Shadowboxer. So with Precious being only his second film that he's actually directed, I can say without a doubt, that Lee Daniels has a very strong career ahead of him and I will be anxiously awaiting his next project. Precious revolves around the story of a young 16 year old highschool girl from Harlem named Precious. Not only does she have to live with her very physically and mentally abusive mother Mary, played by Mo'Nique, but she has to live with herself being extremely overweight and reliving the nightmares of herself getting raped by her own father who also impregnated her twice. It's a pretty nightmarish situation to say the least and first time rookie actress Gabourey "Gabby" Sidibe nails it. As of today she's just earned herself a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress. In her first role ever, the girl earns a Best Actress nomination, now that says something about how talented she is. I actually saw a special on her and watching how cheerful she was during that and then watching Precious you can see that she really did transform into a 16 year old highschool girl who's surrounded by hate and problems.
As the story progresses we see that there's actually a lot of people who really love Precious and want to help her. Her alternative school teacher Ms. Rain, played by the gorgeous and eloquent Paula Patton, soon begins to believe in Precious and will do anything in her power to help her. She takes her in, helps her raise her child, gets her reading level up from virtually non-existent to an 8th grade level, and eventually gets her into a halfway house to prepare her for life on her own.
Mo'Nique's performance as Mary (Precious' mother) was an absolute knockout. I've never been more terrified of a characters family member as I was while watching her. Every time Precious would even go near her apartment I would sit in my seat clenching my fists to prepare for the worst. This woman is so hateful, so abusive, and so downright scary it's going to be hard to get her out of my head for a while. There's one scene in particular where Mary has just realized that she has smashed her tv set and it follows with an intense slow motion shot of her sweating and running up the stairs full speed to tear apart Precious' room. I tell you, it's a scary sight. She deserves a win for her nomination for Best Supporting Actress for Golden Globes.
Precious is a film that should be seen by all people, of all sizes, and of all races. It's a film that will leave you breathless, and will leave you thinking about it long after you leave the theater. Precious may even win Best Picture for Golden Globes. I give Precious 4 1/2 outa 5 stars.
