Precious, A Movie about Child Abuse, Neglect and Child Psychology

Abuse of All Kinds Should Not be Tolerated "Precious" based on the novel "Push" is a movie that deals with the dark side of sexual child abuse. Movies which deal with abuse of all types; child abuse, domestic violence, rape, incest, physical and mental abuse, are usually hard to watch but they do send a powerful message to victims on how to prevent such abuse and how to remove themselves from harmful situations. A victim of abuse will have low self esteem issues and not know how to protect themselves from their abusers, some of whom may be people who say they 'love' them. "Precious" is a movie about a teenager who is abused by her father physically and emotionally by her mother. It is a hard movie to watch but is a must see if you want to help someone who is in an abusive situation. It was hard to watch Precious, a movie produced by Oprah Winfrey and directed by Lee Daniels, is rare in that whilst you are watching, part of you doesn't want to keep watching, but still you are compelled by the shear power such a story exudes. This is a story of child abuse, incest, illiteracy, poverty, but above all, triumph. We meet the main character, Claireece Precious Jones, as an overweight, pregnant teenager whose face shows how troubled she is but we soon learn she has big dreams which won't go away, these dreams keep her going. Living (if you could call it that!) in Harlem in a Section 8 apartment to abusive parents, her father molests her (she falls pregnant to him twice) and her mother physically and emotionally abuses her. The hatred is so evident in her mother's voice (played brilliantly by Mo'Nique) that others sitting in the theatre with us the day we watched it were audibly distressed not only of the words but also at how she spoke to her daughter with such animosity. Precious is played by newcomer Gabourney Sibide, who plays with great maturity and strength, you find yourself wanting to take her away and look after her, so much is the horror she experiences every day. If it wasn't for the assistance of a caring school principal and the dowdy Ms Weiss, the empathic social case worker trying desperately to help this troubled teenager, Claireece Precious Jones would have had nowhere to turn. Ms Weiss is played by Mariah Carey, although you won't recognise her instantly, she is completely 'made-under' to look like a very plain woman. Her performance is worthy of mention as she falters in trying to help Precious but realises the odds are insurmountable, you actually end up feeling for her as well as Precious. Bleakness, negativity and unrelenting poverty pervade this movie but we find that Precious has an indomitable spirit and from this she fantasises about a better life for her and her children (one of whom has Downs Syndrome). Her fantasies are seen as flashbacks and Precious uses the fantasies to escape the abuse. However, she refuses to accept the negative forces that are her parents and ignores her mother's remonstrations when she finds an alternative school with the help of her Principal. Miss Rains (Paula Patton) is her caring teacher at the school and although her classmates are a bunch of misfits, there is compassion for their respective troubles, and friendships do evolve. Precious is to receive further bad news about her health after the birth of her second child but her resolve to make a better life is not weakened. It is this hope and love which makes this movie a must see, despite the overwhelming blackness and despair throughout the movie, it will give poor people some hope, show them there is a way out, and others who have the means may be motivated to assist where they can. Go and see Precious and raise you own spirits.