Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire
Directed by Lee Daniels
- drama
The story
In Harlem in 1987, Claireece "Precious" Jones is a 16-year-old African American girl born into a life no one would want. She's pregnant for the second time by her absent father, and at home she must wait hand and foot on her mother, an angry woman who abuses her emotionally and physically. School is chaotic and Precious has reached the ninth grade with good marks and a secret – she can't read.
What it’s like
Harsh, dim interiors and drab Harlem streets rendered in a grainy, unforgiving palette, with fluorescent classroom light and the flat grey of a tenement kitchen. Director Lee Daniels frames much of it in tight, claustrophobic close-ups and handheld shots that stay with the body, while fantasy sequences burst into saturated colour and bright, dreamlike light, a sharp contrast that carries much of the film's emotional weight. The score is sparse and understated, letting ambient city noise, shouting and silence press in. Its vibe is bleak, raw and quietly hopeful, closer to endurance than escape. The pacing is slow and heavy, with long stretches of tension broken by abrupt outbursts of violence and cruelty. This is intense and hard to sit through: it contains sexual abuse, physical and emotional violence, and depictions of poverty and illness, all landing with unflinching weight. It is not a fit for anyone seeking gentleness or comfort. It suits viewers drawn to tough, character-driven drama about resilience, identity and self-recovery, watched with the intention of facing difficult material.
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