Precious: Film Review

2010-01-30 10:01:16

Claireece ‘Precious’ Jones is an illiterate 16-year-old who endures daily abuse from her heartless mother and is pregnant with her second baby after being raped by her father. Starved of love and affection, her fortunes begin to change when she is enrolled in an alternative school and taught to value herself by her inspiring teacher, Miss Rain.
    
The Harlem teen embarks on an obstacle-filled journey of hope, using the power of writing to express herself and dispel her feeling that she is just ‘ugly black grease to be wiped away.’
    
Gabourey Sidibe convinces on every possible level as the wounded lead
    
Every performance in Precious is exceptional, with actress Gabourey Sidibe depicting the perpetually mistreated teen as a girl hiding a stern resolve beneath her world weary exterior. It is hard to believe that this is her first lead role in a feature film, as she convinces on every possible level as the wounded protagonist. Mo’nique is the star turn here, portraying Precious’s poisonous mother Mary with unrelenting malice. It is testament to her acting ability that she is, for the most part, truly uncomfortable to watch.
    
The biggest surprise of the film was witnessing a make-up free Mariah Carey successfully embody her role as a social worker. Her portrayal is a complete departure from her musical diva persona and works extremely well. The few humorous scenes between Precious and her new female classmates are touching to watch as she experiences friendship for the first time.
    
Precious is harrowing - but one of the most powerful films of the year
    
Director Lee Davis’s sensitive use of flashback and a daydream device, where Precious imagines herself as a famous celebrity, add much needed colour to what would otherwise have been an overwhelmingly grey portrait of an isolated life.
    
The Oprah Winfrey produced story, based on the novel Push by Sapphire, has garnered multiple nominations during this awards season, most of them deservedly for Sidibe and Mo’nique. There is no disguising the fact that Precious is a harrowing and difficult viewing experience. However, in this case your perseverance will ultimately be rewarded with one of the most powerful films of the year.
    
Review: Susan Mintern
    
Precious is showing at Nottingham's Broadway Cinema until 11th February 2010
    

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