I don’t get out to the movies very often—just never enough time. The good thing about DVDs is the bonus scenes, director’s comments, even an alternate ending or two.
So I finally watched “Precious” this weekend. If you’re not familiar, it’s based on the story of Claireece “Precious” Jones, a severely obese, 16-year-old African-American girl growing up in Harlem in the late 1980s. She lives with her abusive mother and is frequently raped by her father–who is also the father of her two children. A heavyweight, to say the least.
The one thing that’s prevalent through the film (which was based on the novel Push by poet Sapphire) is education. Precious is illiterate, attending crowded out-of-control middle school classes. When her principal learns she’s pregnant with her second child, she suspends her, but attempts to persuade her to go to an alternative school to get her GED. Despite Precious’ mother’s attempts to keep her at home and keep her welfare checks, Precious gives it a try.
