Precious

My roommate and I went to see Precious, which is now in limited release across the country. The theater was packed with brown folk, which excited me because this is a film that everyone should see and support.

Precious is based on the novel, Push, by poet and singer Sapphire. It explores the interiority of an illiterate black teen, Claireece “Precious” Jones, who goes through just about every imaginable hardship one could imagine. Verbally and physically abused by her mother and raped by her father (who in turn fathers her own two children), Precious enrolls in alternative school and begins to find self-worth despite her circumstances. The film is directed and produced by Lee Daniels, of Monster’s Ball and The Woodsman (one of my favorite films) fame. All of his films examine subjects on the fringes of society through themes of love, struggle, and ultimately redemption.

Paula Patton was completely believable as a teacher who takes Precious and her classmates under her wing. Her understated performance was a breath of fresh air amidst superficial portrayals of the Educator who Saves the Children character type. Mariah Carey’s role as a social worker was brilliant in its subtlety and Lenny Kravitz also held his own with a bit part as a male nurse. Mo’Nique completely transformed for her role as Precious’ mother and her sheer intensity on screen is something to be reckoned with (ahem, Oscar nod!), and the entire movie is held up by the charisma that newcomer Gabourey 'Gabby' Sidibe’s brings to such a heavy movie.

Watching Precious was a very visceral experience for me and the harsh realties of Precious’ existence juxtaposed with interstitial imaginative fantasy sequences that displayed her hopes and dreams were a clever device to use in a film that would be completely devoid of lightness without them. I most enjoyed the school scenes with Precious and her classmates, which provided a necessary change of pace from the largely pejorative tone of the film.

The film achieved gritty realism through its unwillingness to sugarcoat the very authentic experience of a young black girl’s struggle with her identity. I don’t think I’ve seen a movie about the “black experience” that has done this so successfully since John Singleton’s Boyz in the Hood. I recommend everyone see it and hopefully it will be receiving much Academy Award buzz in the coming weeks!

The Sweet Little Film that Could

I wanted to see Away We Go for two main reasons: 1.) I'm a sucker for movies about babies and/or pregnancy and 2.) I'm a sucker for the rom-com genre. And the film did not disappoint me on either front. Think of it as the adult version of Juno without the witty Diablo Cody dialogue. Director Sam Mendes leaves behind the kind of suburban dysfunction that makes you want to kill yourself (found in Revolutionary Road and American Beauty) to take on the more whimsical side of family and romance. In a surprisingly heartfelt and honest turn, Maya Rudolph shined as Verona, a woman who finds herself unexpectedly pregnant and on a (mis)adventure to find a place called home with her adorably dorky boyfriend, Burt (John Krasinski). The couple galavant around the country--and even to Canada--trying on different cities to find the right fit. Along the way, they connect with old friends and family that are just off kilter enough to make you want to hightail it to the next destination. A particularly entertaining vignette highlights Maggie Gyllenhaal as a hippie professor who has a strong aversion to strollers.

In some ways, the film's destination-framed narrative makes it seem a little stilted. Cuts to text on a black screen signaling a location change ("Away to Phoenix", "Away to Miami") get old pretty quickly. It also makes the ending incredibly anti-climatic. But what we're really supposed to get out of the film is a couple's love for each other despite future uncertainty and it has that in spades. Verona and Burt are not only believable characters, but Maya and John have great on-camera chemistry. Though the film reads through its marketing as a pretentious indie flick, it is only half that. The rest is a slightly slow-paced, enjoyable drama about life and love.