I watched Precious (2009) a couple months ago and was under the impression that it was a comedy due to all the jokes that I've seen about it, I was shocked to find out that it was actually a drama. It disgusts me how a film that is about the continuous rape and abuse of a 16 year old girl was turned into a huge joke simply because the girl in question is fat and black. If Precious were a skinny conventionally attractive white girl the response to the film would be wayyy different. (Mind you, people would still mock the movie because women's suffering will always be funny to the general public, but y'know)
I'm actually not a big movie watcher but I was sooo engrossed in the film and it was all I could think about for days. It totally blew me away and made me emotional which is not very typical of me lol. I re watched it today and loved it even more. Unfortunately I made the mistake of going on to letterboxd to read others reviews... Most were from MEN, WHITE MEN, who kinda misunderstood the movie imo?
Some of the complaints were that "the mom is horrible" like... yes? Another was that the film doesn't go in depth enough into the education system/other systems that caused Precious to end up in her situation. But like,, imo the movie was mainly about Precious' relationship with her mom, her discovering herself, and her journey to a new beginning. If you wanted to watch media about institutional corruption go watch the Wire or something lol.
Many people were confused by the fantasy/day dream sequences as well. I think that not only were those a form of escapism for Precious, but to also show how she's just a teenage girl. Precious has been taking care of both of her parents since she was a child. Her father forced her into the position of wife/partner. He forced her to become a mother twice. Her father then left and her role as her mothers care taker was exacerbated.
Many black girls (children) are called "fast", as in developing sexually "too fast", which is a harmful stereotype that is imposed on them simply for existing/developing/growing up. This is how Precious' mother, and society (she was kicked out of school for being pregnant), view Precious. Precious' mother knows that she was raped (and even rapes her herself), but doesn't care.
Since everyone views Precious as an adult, these day dreams serve as a reminder of the fact that she's just a 16 year old girl who fantasizes about being loved (by her mother, by the world, and a boyfriend). And it day dreaming is a common trope for teen girls which is why this all matters lol.
I think her youth and naivety is also shown when she has an outburst in class and yells at Ms. Rain. She says: "You don't know what it's like to be me! I've never had a boyfriend! My daddy said that he wants to marry me, but how could he do that? That's illegal!". The first thing Precious brings up is that she's never had a boyfriend, although she has a million other worse problems in her life that she could be complaining about. The only problem she has with her father wanting to marry her is that it would be illegal, and not the thousand other things that are wrong with that lol. But anyways, Precious is just a teenage girl at the end of the day and her biggest problem in life (or what she wishes was her biggest problem) is her desire for a boyfriend.
Other things that people disliked were the filming style/soundtrack. I have nothing to say about those really lol. If people didn't like those then... idk.
Anyways... other things about Precious that I adored/noticed:
Mo'Nique 100% deserved that Oscar, she was truly astounding. Especially in that final scene where she becomes so emotional, but for HERSELF💀. Also her wearing foundation that was way too light to the welfare office... (colorism is also part of this movie!)
Precious' first baby being named "Mongoloid", presumably because Precious' mom named her that and Precious went along with it. You can tell that Precious does not like that name though since she calles her "Mongo" instead. Mongo was also born under the worst circumstances; on the kitchen floor while Precious' mom was kicking and berating her. Precious' second pregnancy occurred while she was starting her journey (of self-discovery/independence, etc.). She has hopes and dreams for this baby and for herself. Her son was born in the hospital with her friends surrounding her, her mother nowhere to be seen. She names him Abdul Jamal, which in Arabic means "servant of beauty". Anyways I thought that was so cute :(
I loved her relationship with her classmates too. They were so supportive and fun lol
There's probably other things but I can't think of them rn lolz
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Im sad I didn't watch precious as a teenager what an amazing film I watched it like two weeks ago and I'm still in awe
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