The thing that struck me most about the movie “Precious” wasn’t its plot line or even its characters –it was the film’s ever-morphing marketing platform.  As someone who happened to catch the marketing of this film from the start, it became fascinating to me how over the short time since this film’s release the promoters radically changed the tone and pitch of its trailer.   When the film first came out, the preview was brutal – its images gave us a hard, full-frontal shot at the grim, squalid life of Precious, its main character.  The trailer conveyed in stark detail the dark oppressiveness of this abused teenager’s life and spelled out to you in no uncertain terms that this was not a cheery film.  Far from it.  And yet, within weeks of the film’s opening, the disturbing trailer vanished.  In its place was a series of decidedly upbeat, happy, almost glamorous shots of Precious dancing around to lively music and bright lights.  Those were her “dream sequences” – but of course the promoters don’t make that clear in the trailer.  Later, when you actually sit through the film, you realize that those images are in fact fleeting fantasies – ones created by Precious as an escape from the trauma (rape, incest, violence, rejection, etc) which fills up 99.9 percent of the film.  Did I feel misled by the new trailer?  Absolutely.  Does it really matter?  Not at all.  I would have seen the film anyway.  Still, it was an interesting insight into the whole mysterious world of “film marketing spin” – watching how a film which provides a raw and depressing portrayal of poverty, abuse and oppression gets repackaged into a story that is “inspiring and uplifting” – just in time for the holidays.  As I said, I would have seen the film no matter what (given that it depicts a storyline that I am all too familiar with in my work as a dependency lawyer).  However, I know for a fact that I would have been seeing it on my own had it not been for the recasting of the trailer.  My husband (who hates to see depressing movies) was sufficiently lulled by the fluffy trailer to see it with me. 

So what was the film we ultimately got to see?  Was it in fact uplifting and inspirational?  Er - Not so much.  Nightmarish, haunting and ultimately somewhat heroic – most definitely.  Adapted by Damien Paul from the work by one-time Harlem teacher and poet Sapphire, the flick tells the story of Claireece “Precious” Jones, (played by newcomer Gabourey “Gabby” Sidibe), a character that is so mezmerizing and different that she dominates the screen from the moment she appears.  With a jutting jaw, mountaneous body and eyes you can barely see, she outwardly embodies the pain and hurt of a lifetime of abuse and oppression.  Pregnant again by her father and on the verge of being kicked out of school, she is literally tortured by her mother, Mary (Mo’Nique), whose life consists of watching T.V., milking the welfare system, petting her cat and treating her daughter like a slave.  The situation is so horrifying that there were moments that I found I couldn’t quite take in - so dark and depraved is the level of violence and sexual abuse.  Yes, this film is not for the faint at heart.  And yet, the performances by Gabby and Mo’Nique are so brilliant and disarming that it is worth the discomfort to see this small, incredible film through to the end. 

And (even though overinflated by the marketers of this film) there are sincere moments of levity and hope.  Despite her mother’s lack of support, Claireece enrolls in an alternative school where a teacher named Blu Raine (Paula Patton) prepares young women for their GEDs. Patton is great, graceful but carrying the weight of the world in her eyes. And Claireece’s classmates, with their sassy, street girl banter, give the film some much needed relief.  Plus, Claireece’s ability to rise above her dark ugly circumstance and forge her own path in life (with head held high and holding each of her children in her arms) is nothing short of heroic.  This is an important film, one that will make you want to go home and hug your children really really tight.  The promoters didn’t need to recast this film or spin it as “inspiring” or “uplifting.”  This is a beautiful film in its own right – you’ll pause and reflect deeply on the invisible lives that surround us every day. It might even help you to care. And for that, this film is really a gem. Go see it.