A Story That Had to be Told

Sexual and physical abuse maybe a taboo topic but it is prevalent in our society and many 
young girls can relate to it. Therefore, the story of Precious had to be told. And I am glad that 
Sapphire wrote it in the form of the novel, Push, and Director Lee Daniels adapted the novel 
into the movie, Precious. This Oscar-nominated movie had a very strong message, a 
message of hope, hope for young girls who are sexually molested by their fathers or 
physically abused by their parents. I think many young girls and boys will be able to relate to 
this movie at some level. Abuse doesn't have to be physical or sexual, abuse can also be 
mental and emotional. In our competitive society with so many pressures, there are many 
young boys and girls who are made to feel worthless or self-conscious if not by their parents, 
by their peers or by the general public, whether it be because of their height, weight or 
because they are different in some way. This movie is for all those boys and girls.





I appreciated the message of the movie. However, the editing of the film was choppy. The 
scenes didn't transition smoothly from one to the next. 

Monique did an excellent job as the abusive mother and her Oscar was truly well-deserved. 
She was truly the highlight of the movie because she looked completely different than ever 
portrayed before. I appreciate that she took on this role, even though it was risky, and 
brought the character of Mary, Precious's mother, to life on the big screen. In most scenes, 
Gabourey Sidibe, who portrayed the role of Precious, was expressionless - I'm not sure if it 
was deliberate but therefore, I felt Monique's performance was much stronger than hers. The 
biggest surprise of all was Mariah Carey in the role of the social worker, Miss Weiss. She 
also looked completely different. However, she was also mostly expressionless; therefore, 
she needs to brush up her acting skills a bit. Paula Patton was also good as Miss Blu Rain, 
Precious's teacher, who turned out to be her guardian angel.

Even though the execution of the film appears to be sloppy, I highly recommend this film 
as it portrays a very strong social message, which needs to be reached to everyone, 
irrespective of age, race, and culture.