For all the metaphor surrounding her name, Precious Jones doesn’t seem to mean much to the creators of this eponymous film.
Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire
has been exhaustively hyped as an intense viewing experience, a tale of grit and redemption. In many ways, however,
Precious
is a shock film which seeks to violate both its subjects and audience in order to immerse them in the boiling rawness of “black ghetto” reality. Through emotional trauma and dirty cinematography, inspiration occasionally glimmers; however, like the film’s heroine, those moments gamely struggle through an environment which festers with hatred and ignorance.A deceivingly glossy summary:Teenage Precious (Gabourey Sidibe), obese and pregnant for the second time with her absent father’s child, has tucked herself tightly inside a sad and claustrophobic inner-world in order to cope with the harsh realities of her pitiful life in 1987 Harlem. She most intensely fears her reclusive and terrifyingly cruel mother (Mo’Nique) whose abuses of her daughter include hurling hard objects, verbal lashings, and sexual assault.Precious, through her haze of self-loathing (and private fantasies of “a light-skinned boyfriend” and blond curls) hesitantly takes the opportunity to attend an alternative school. Under the tutelage of the cute but no-nonsense Miss Rain (Paula Patton), and with the support of new friends and a tough social worker (an impressively plain and hoarse Mariah Carey), Precious finally begins a journey of empowerment.All of that sounds like it would have made a rough but uplifting story. However,
Precious
is riddled with troubling representations and a tragic, violent tone which completely overshadows Precious’ high points and slow self-discovery.The main character, whose inner monologue imbues her with adolescent bravado and hope, and with a hidden sweet vigor, is dealt setback after setback. She is raped, ridiculed, and stripped of all agency in her own home.The most prominent failure of this film, which soured me in the face of its few good achievements, is its poor understanding of the complexities which accompany a woman’s reconciliation of her self-worth and her color in a world which privileges lightness, wealth, and higher education.
Precious
communicates subtle support of whiteness as opposed to Sidibe’s deep blackness even as it harps on themes of self-motivation and actualization “just as you are.”Precious is helped to freedom by those who fit her image of perfection: the light-skinned and educated. Her moment of pride, when she recognizes her own beauty, comes off as manufactured and trite, as it has no basis in her previous interactions with others.Since I had so many difficulties with
Precious
, it is easy to commend the film for the few high points that do exist. Sidibe and Mo’Nique are both explosive performers, combining turbulent rage with poignant vulnerability. They accomplish the truly important work in this film, overriding animalistic portrayals with wrenching humanity. Also powerful are the scenes in which we see Precious escape mentally, recreating new realities of strength and familial love that reside deep in her spiritual reservoir, untouched by the many who daily seek to break her down. There is a moving moment when a sympathetic male nurse (Lenny Kravitz) wishes her a Merry Christmas with a card featuring a black Santa. To watch Precious experience quiet joy in recognition and celebration of her race and spirit is a welcome distraction from the wasteland she inhabits.Once you purchase your ticket for
Precious
, you assent to a destructive and sobering experience. Be sure to view this film with a truly critical eye; it is perhaps more of a strong commentary on blackness in major Hollywood film than a rousing saga designed to make the heartstrings sing.
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