Precious

I had a theory going in before seeing Precious: Based On The Novel Push By Sapphire--a pretty crappy theory and one backed up by absolutely nothing at all, but a theory nonetheless--that one's enjoyment of the film was going to be dictated by whether or not you bought into the initial premise.

So, if you like the idea of a film about an obese, illiterate, HIV positive teenager who had been victim of rape by her father, which brought upon two kids, one of them with Down syndrome--until FINALLY she finds redemption through alternative schooling--well then, break out those tissues or something. If you find that the premise sounds like manipulative Oscar bait, you will then most likely not find much to enjoy about it.

My little theory held ground pretty well a few minutes after seeing the film, cause I WRITHED IN ANGER over it. I hated the fact that it kept hitting me over the head with reasons why I should be pitying this obese teenager. I hated the heavyhandedness of scenes like the flashback to her father raping her (intercut with quick shots of bacon frying--subtle!). I hated how impossibly perfect the people trying to help Precious seemed to be, and hated how evil her mother was portrayed especially after the final scene attempted to humanize her.

Then a few days passed.

Now I just realize I kind of wanted to hate the movie. Unfortunately for me, it honestly wasn't all that bad.

OK. So I'm probably never going to have the huge urge to watch it ever again, and in terms of all the accolades it's getting, I probably wouldn't give it a Best Picture nod even with the ten nominees. And with all the virulent hyperbole turned down, there's still a lot of things that bothered me, such as:

-The fact that Precious seemed so innocent and good. There was a scene in which Precious struck a student who called her fat, and it was the only hint that we got that Precious was somewhat affected by the environment that she grew up in. (You know, other than being a mother of two. And HIV infected.) I would have expected a lot more hostility--a thick skin overlaying a tender heart inside (or crap like that)--but instead Precious never really *reacted* to all the crap she had to deal with. Outside of this one scene, maybe.
-Well, the shot of bacon intercut with Precious being raped was kind of obvious. So is the scene in which Precious looks into the mirror and pictures a skinny white female. The latter does have a decent pay off in the end, but nonetheless there were a few too many scenes in which a bit more tact would have been ideal.
-The teacher at the alternative school was pretty annoying. I get that you want to make different educational methods look as appealing as possible so it doesn't come off as if you're supporting the terribly broken educational system as is. But... umm, when a student of yours reveals that she has been given the HIV virus by her father, I don't think the proper course of action is to then demand that she writes.

Among other things. Also, the mother was a little bit too sociopathic for me to buy her showing any kind of vulnerability at the end. So all in all, I wouldn't necessarily call the film a "success" or would I call it recommended viewing, but it also managed to not be completely reprehensible and indeed was somewhat enjoyable in parts.

For one, I did enjoy the fact that despite the overall Oscar bait-y tone, the film allowed Precious to bask in some of the happier times without feeling the need to completely tear it down immediately after.

And at least some of the characters felt actually alive. The classmates in Precious' class shockingly all had warm, real, and eccentric personalities, as if they were actually pulled from a real-life classroom setting and told to just be themselves. And despite the viciousness of Precious' environment preventing me from buying fully the fact that Precious seemed so *good*, the fantasy sequences did inject a life into her that allowed me to accept the character as is.

And the ending felt right to me: Precious is no better or worse than where she was at the beginning, but she has a better grasp of who she is and what she wants out of life. It's easier to stomach than--say, watching a kid from the slums of Mumbai winning a million dollars in a quiz of knowledge that turns out to be pretty much a recap of his own life story.

So there you go. It's still somewhat manipulative, but less than what you were fearing. So all is well, I suppose. You can go on with the rest of your life without ever seeing the movie again, and you won't seethe with rage whenever someone mentions the film as a favorite. That's a pretty decent outcome, I'd have to say.

----

So that's the 8th Best Picture nominee I've seen. Probably the last before the show on Sunday. An Education--sorry, you weren't interesting enough to get me out to the theaters, and you weren't early enough to arrive on DVD. The Blind Side--sorry, but you look pretty convincingly like a piece of s***.