Precious is a brave film, taking on the difficult and unpopular subject of sexual abuse and violence, in addition to other important social issues such as poverty, obesity, sexually transmitted diseases and illiteracy. Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry put their weight behind the project after speaking out about abuse in their own pasts, adding credibility and star power. A strong screenplay based on the book Push by Sapphire, gritty direction by Lee Daniels, and powerhouse performances by the ensemble paint a realistic yet artistic picture of the deeply disturbing subject matter.
Survivors of sexual abuse will tell you that the abuse itself is hideous and destructive leaving deep emotional scars that take years to process. The film delves into a secondary but equally difficult piece of the dynamic which is the betrayal of the victim by family members other than the abuser. This may come in the form of refusing to believe the victim which we saw play out in the Mackenzie Phillips story when both step-mothers declared that she was lying and that her father would not and did not sexually abuse his daughter. Or it may show as anger towards the victim for destroying the family by telling thus holding back the love and validation desperately needed by the victim. It reminds me of how many times I have heard Vietnam combat veterans say that their actual war experiences were devastating but not nearly as devastating as how they were treated when they came home to the country that sent them there.
The final confrontation in the film between Precious, her mother, and the social worker addresses head-on the question of how a mother can choose to abandon her child and look the other way in the face of violent sexual and physical abuse. Mo'Nique, playing the mother, accomplishes the incredible feat of illuminating this phenomenon in such a way that allows us to actually see into the soul of a mean, broken woman, exposing the slightest glimmer of vulnerability. She gives a tearful, breathless explanation of how the abuse began when her baby was three years old as her man would reach past her to touch her daughter while they were "doing it", and how she didn't want him to hurt her baby. It is shattering to hear her speak of how her man wanted her baby instead of her and how her daughter should have refused or screamed or stopped him in some way. The jealousy that consumed her and grew into violent anger is a mirror of the harsh reality of mothers and daughters ending up competing in a sexual way for the same man.
Most survivors in similar situations have always wanted to ask that question and have even more desperately wanted an answer. Most never have the opportunity. But Mo'Nique, with her brutally honest willingness to seek out the truth of the family dynamic of incest, has given the gift of answering the question. It is hard to watch and it isn't the answer to hope for, but it shows how many victims can emanate from one tragedy. And it allows us to feel at least some level of compassion for a woman, any woman, who cannot find compassion in herself, who has lost her humanity.
The press is not happy with Mo'Nique, nor allegedly is Lionsgate or Oprah or anyone who is hoping for the film to win come Oscar night. Mo'Nique, most likely a nominee for her performance, is not playing the Oscar game, refusing to lobby for the award and insisting that her work in the film is done and she has gone back to her very busy life. I hope that she does get the nomination and that she does win for what is hands down the best supporting actress performance of the year. It would be a true shame for the Academy to overlook her because of political nonsense. We already know that happens but this would be a glaring example that would be an embarrassment to all concerned.
Mo'Nique is a sassy, brassy, wisecracking, noisy personality and in a way she is right. She doesn't owe us anything besides what she gave on the screen. And I, for one, will always be grateful to her for helping me understand what, at one time, I thought simply couldn't be understood.
"It reminds me of how many times I have heard Vietnam combat veterans say that their actual war experiences were devastating but not nearly as devastating as how they were treated when they came home to the country that sent them there."
This is political nonsense.
The truth is, PTSD was only discovered and named after Vietnam. The Vietnam War was so problematic, I think the military establishment wanted to make it like it was Vietnam in particular, and not combat in general, that caused PTSD.
That's how this myth arose that it was the antiwar movement, not the Vietnam War itself, that caused PTSD in Vietnam veterans.
The problem with that point of view is -- WWII veterans got PTSD too, even though they were welcomed quite heartily by the war-supporting public.
They didn't call it PTSD. PTSD in WWII veterans was called by other names -- drinking too much, a stoic personality, the rugged silent type, he's only violent when he's been drinking, he doesn't like to talk about the war, etc.
WWII veterans suffered from PTSD but it came out in the form of alcoholism and domestic violence and other forms of dysfunction that society regarded as normal masculine behavior in the 1950s.
Now we can see quite clearly with our Iraq and Afghanistan veterans -- it is war itself, not how the troops are welcomed home after the war, that causes PTSD.
"Precious" helps us all towards a level of understanding.
i hope this film wins many awards - to help drag incest out of the closet - and, hopefully, better treatment for survivors. I love that Precious "got away" - so many do not.
Excellent performances, good directing, script and editing.