Review of Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire (2009) by Dawdlingpoet — 20 Nov 2021

This is a very dark and gritty urban drama - there's no feelgood factor here, thats for sure. It covers some sensitive topics but I feel it does this competently. It seemed like (to my non-expert eyes, of course) quite a realistic film, painting a picture of a very fractured 'family' situation and shining a light on a case of sadly quite disturbing abuse. I try to avoid spoilers but I don't think this could be covered properly (or fairly to warn those curious about it) without mentioning that. Given there are some depictions of both physical and sexual abuse, this is a very sensitive area for some people and thus its not something that will obviously appeal to all(!), its not a film to watch for any kind of entertainment value clearly but what it does do is to tell a story about someone who is shown to be in a state of crisis regarding their self identity - someone who doesn't know who to believe, their mother or their teacher, someone doubtful and ultimately rather lost. The credits mention that the film is dedicated to all the people out there like Precious and that says it all - there more than likely are many people who have come from such backgrounds and who could relate to the story, sadly. It would be wrong to gloss over such harrowing ground I suppose, if you think of the film industry as in part serving the purpose to tell peoples stories, to sometimes speak out to, or about, those who have perhaps less of a voice, to portray moving narratives - this clearly ticks those boxes. I was left thinking about the impact that the constant strongly worded dialogue between Precious' mother and her, had on her (had this not been a film but real) - it is rather thought provoking, highlighting the effect constant taunts can have.

This is very much a film you watch which makes you count your blessings and perhaps puts thing into perspective for you. There was a trend in the 90s for films about deprived inner city schools and the pupils behaviour challenging teachers etc. (for example 'Dangerous Minds') but this is much more the other way around, with Precious appearing to be quite shy at heart, although she does have one or two physical altercations but only when provoked. I wouldn't like to say more, so as I don't provide too many spoilers. I liked the scenes that depict her daydreams, which are shown as almost animations appearing out of elements within scenes in the 'real world' - a clever technique thats hard to describe but I thought seemed quite effective. The actress also voices a voice over at times, giving you an insight into how she felt, what she questioned and things at certain points.

Its quite a bittersweet watch but for what it is, its a well made film that does rather 'pack a punch', not being afraid to cover some controversial ground without seeming especially exploitative. I was relieved that while very strong and somewhat explicit language was used, the sex references/scenes weren't perhaps as graphic as they could have been, so it wasn't maybe as distasteful or, as I say, exploitative, as it had the potential to be, which would have cheapened it somewhat. What it does well is to tell the story and that really is the main thing. As a viewer, its rather frustrating to watch as you can tell she is in a bad situation, things are stacked against her and it clearly won't be easy for her to change and you can feel her longing to become 'something', to be popular, famous, even just liked - to be someone, as so many hundreds of thousands of people in New York (where the film is set) and elsewhere no doubt do - anyone who doesn't feel sorry for Precious must be rather heartless. I also found it interesting that her weight played a part in the way she was being controlled by her mother, her continually putting her down, telling her she'll never be anything and all the rest of it. There's at least one scene that depicts her frustration in relation to food and the way its used to control her.

All things considered, you might think it ironic that she's referred to as 'Precious', particularly considering her mothers less than loving attitude towards her and she does indeed (rather mockingly) refer to her by that nickname. I think this nickname is a reminder of sorts not to judge a book by its cover and it also hints at her underlying more fragile, sensitive nature. I should mention that the dialogue is a little mumbled in parts, so if you struggle at all with urban 'ghetto'/US slang type dialects, then you may struggle a bit at times to follow some of it, though I got the gist of it but there's always subtitles if necessary. This film is based on the novel 'Push' by Sapphire, although I haven't read the novel so I can't comment on how true to the book it is.