Life is, Precious

I like going to movies. I enjoy the time I spend experiencing my escape from reality. I find that there are some movies that are sweet, fun loving and allow me to express myself through tears of happiness and postive emotion. There are also movies where the emotions that get brought to the surface are horror, pain and sadness. Those movies where you sit there and realize that your life isn't as horrible or difficult as what you see on the screen. I just saw one of those movies. This week's film was Precious.

Precious is the story of a teenager living in New York with her mother. She has spent her whole life being physically, emotionally and sexually abused by the ones that were supposed to love and care for her. This was an unbelievable story to watch on the big screen. It haunted me while the premise intrigued me at the same time. Who was this girl? What made her so special?

The film is rough, emotionally charged and raw. The performances in it are nothing short of incredible. This is extremely serious and disturbing subject matter. There were scenes that horrified me. There were scenes where the entire audience gasped. There were scenes where my poor husband wept as I did. There were scenes where you couldn't really believe that this was actually happening...and yet, there it was right in front of you.

What interests me is the fact that this young woman, a teenager, Precious, despite everything had enough courage to keep trying. She was illiterate and was pregnant with her second child and still she went to school and to learn to read and write. Gabourey Sidibe is fresh and powerful in her performance. I really couldn't keep my eyes off of her. She allowed her pain to connect with the audience sometimes without words or without tears. All she had to do was look into the camera and you knew exactly what she was feeling. Mariah Carey, Paula Patton and Mo'nique round out the exceptional cast. This clearly was a work of love to bring to the big screen. It certainly felt like that while I was there tonight.

The film was powerful and well written. It didn't fill in all the blanks, they left you to figure some things yourself. It was an honest and scary look of an uneducated, abusive household. Where violence is a daily occurance becomes part of the routine. Breaking that routine is tough enough. Watching someone as courageous as Precious, was really a breath of fresh air. She was able to accept support and finally found out what love is really all about.

Throughout award season, I try to see all nominated films/actors in their nominated roles. I have been doing this for years. This was a performance worthy of a nomination. I have no idea if Gabourey will end up taking home the prize, but if this is the type of role that this young actress chooses for her first. I can't wait to watch her in her second choice.