By Jonathan Smalls, FILM CRITIC

An awful lot of hype has accumulated around Precious, based on the novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire. The film debut at the Toronto Film Festival in January, but has only reached main stream audiences in November. Strategically this, positions the film well to win awards in the spring and admiration from an American audience.

The movie is an emotional tale of a poor, illiterate, teen mother in 1980s Harlem, but it is not as much of a tear-jerker as its description makes it seem. The story is littered with noteworthy moments ranging from amusing to shocking to just plain sad. Author Sapphire tells a tale true to real life where the happy ending is not guaranteed, the bad guy may not get his in the end, and every inch of progress takes painful effort, humility, and sacrifice.

There are more than enough sad tales in this world, and more than enough people are literate enough to document them. Being based upon a strong novel is not enough. There is plenty of room to lose the story in translation to the screen, or to ignore that film, and print are different media, and keep too much.


 

However screenwriter Geoffrey Fletcher, and director Lee Daniels find that elusive balance through artfully including imaginative elements, and letting each scene be a complete idea without bloating it after the punctuation mark. There is also a clear distinction between what is imagined, and actual events without ruining the pacing of the film, at times even including both elements in the same shot.

Combining the writing, and director with able performances, there is never a moment to disconnect from the story. The role of Precious introduces Gabourey Sidibe to the world, but despite her inexperience she portrays all facets of a some times strong, some times uncertain teen with a bad history, but dreams of a better life.

Mo’Nique as Mary Johnston serves as a strong counterpart to Sidibe. Success for one character equals failure for the other, and their interaction is ugly, powerful, realistic, and every thing, which acting is about. Mo’Nique especially delivers a powerful monologue at the end, which lends an emotional hint of humanity to a frighteningly cold, coarse, and inhuman character.

The supporting cast includes notable characters like Lenny Kravitz, and Mariah Carey, but unless you expect them to be there, the audience would hardly be able to recognize them on screen. They do exactly what supporting actors are supposed to do: expand upon, and develop the tale of the main characters without distracting from it. Every character in this film turns in a credible performance.

Precious is a film for the ages. All of its elements form the confluence, which too often eludes Hollywood today. It is a work of fiction, but it feels so real. It is the type of story, which every one should see, but no one will be able to describe.