Movie review: Precious

I had a lot of expectations when I went to watch this movie, believing that having been directed by renown black artists, It was going to do justice to various themes that it may have set out to examine.

I must admit, I was utterly disappointed with the whole experience.

I guess having grown up with poverty staring at me everywhere I turned, has made me hardened to superficial portrayals of serious themes.

I will give a few examples:

First, I was expecting the movie to have a better ending than it did. The fact that precious is seen out of the shackles of her mother's grip and living on her own with her children from an incestuous relationship is not enough as an ending. I expected a lawyer, a doctor, a musician, a nurse, a hard-working fully employed woman providing adequately for herself and her children with no external support. That would have been inspirational.

Second, I do believe there is always two sides to any individual. You cannot portray Precious mother as all the negative adjectives with no soul. We should have seen some tender moments as well, If this is to be believable. My father had a rough childhood from his own parents. Worse than some of the beatings Precious endured but the same parents loved his younger brother(paternal uncle). Even when the social worker visits the home, she has hardly left the home than Monique starts throwing things around. It just seems obviously staged.

Third, Addition of HIV to the plot with no resolution of the theme seems superfluous to me. I think, One should decide what themes are to be tackled in a 2 hr movie and try to resolve them to the audiences intended experience.

I could go on and on...

On the positive side, the movie showcases the dishonorable ghetto living to those who have had the misfortune of not living in one at some point in their lives.

At the end of the movie, I am left disturbed instead of Inspired.