Monday, November 30, 2009

THEY TALK LIKE PEOPLE IN TV SHOWS THAT I DON'T WATCH: The subject matter of Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire is beyond this blog's normal pursuits, even though (and perhaps because) they are among the more important issues a society can confront -- breaking cycles of poverty and dependence, and how these cycles leads to verbal and physical abuse and worse; the legacy of skin privilege; body image issues and how all of the above can wreck one's self-esteem; and how government can (and can't) alleviate any of this.

All that is beyond what I'm going to discuss, other than to say that while the movie is noble in its intentions it does not claim that easy answers exist. The acting is superb throughout; Lee Daniels' direction is showy, but the mix of gritty realism with lyricism and fantasy is necessary to give the audience any space to breathe. I'm not sure if it's a great movie, but it is a necessary and important one, taking me back to my 1995-97 law school work with women like Precious, making me wonder what's stopping me from finding opportunities to use my talents on their behalves again.

I'm sure the subject matter might be holding you back from seeing this movie. See this movie.

[I do feel bad for Gabourey Sidibe, though: she's phenomenal in this, creating a credible person in Precious when she could have been a walking cliche, but like former Academy Award nominee Jaye Davidson before her I just worry that there will never be another major role specifically geared for her like this again. But thank goodness they found her for this.]

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