Precious

The contradictory themes of hopelessness and resilience are the bases of the film ‘Precious’, and are played out beautifully through the protagonist of the same name. As an illiterate, overweight and poor teenager living in Harlem, Precious’ life has been marred by all kinds of abuses emanating from her parents – verbal, physical and mental abuse from her mother, Mary; and sexual abuse from her father. The movie actually begins with the result of her latest abuse – Precious is pregnant with her second child by her father. And just as one has finished wincing in discomfort and disbelief at such a situation, the young woman is then berated and beaten by her mother, a cold, heartless welfare cheat who blames her innocent daughter for the woes of her life. Precious’ only escape is through her imagination, where she dramatises fantasies of a glamorous life, but even these short intervals are interrupted by an object to the back of the head, compliments of Mary.

Yet while the hopelessness of her situation seems to engulf not only Precious, but the viewers, it is her resilience, the way in which she finally takes charge of her life despite the continual setbacks, which makes Precious the heroin of the story. Through Precious, the human capacity to not only endure pain, abuse and abandonment, but to then emerge from that suffering without losing the ability to love unconditionally is realised. Despite being the results of her abuse, Precious bestows on her children the unconditional maternal love which she so lacked in her life. And it is through this juxtaposition between Precious and her own mother, both underprivileged mothers who deal with their circumstances very differently, where the different facets of human responses are displayed. Mary sees herself as a victim, who must in turn victimise the only individual over whom she has control, while Precious is a fighter, refusing to give in to her victimhood and striving instead to give herself and her children a better life.

As for the performances, Gabourey Sidibe elicits empathy, compassion and finally pride from the audience in her portrayal of Precious, and as the abusive, loveless mother, Mo’Nique can scare even the toughest of viewers into submission – their recent Oscar nominations are well-deserved. Yet, while Mariah Carey’s much-hyped performance as the dowdy social worker deserves kudos, the role itself was minimal at best, and had it been played by anyone else, would not have received the kind of attention it has.
[Image from oscar.com]