Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Set in Harlem in 1987, it is the story of Claireece "Precious" Jones, a sixteen-year-old African-American girl born into a life no one would want. She's pregnant for the second time by her absent father; at home, she must wait hand and foot on her mother a poisonously angry woman who abuses her emotionally and physically. School is a place of chaos, and Precious has reached the ninth grade with good marks and an awful secret: she can neither read nor write. Precious may sometimes be down, but she is never out. Beneath her impassive expression she is a watchful, curious young woman with an inchoate but unshakable sense that other possibilities exist for her. Threatened with expulsion, Precious is offered the chance to transfer to an alternative school, Each One/Teach One. Precious doesn't know the meaning of "alternative," but her instincts tell her this is the chance she has been waiting for. In the literacy workshop taught by the patient yet firm Ms. Rain, Precious begins a journey that will lead her from darkness, pain and powerlessness to light, love and self-determination.

Wow. This is a pretty brutal movie that doesn’t pull a lot of punches on your heart strings. The problem with a film like this though is, why would you ever want to watch it more than once? Really, I can’t even imagine sitting through this kind of film again. Precious is a 16 year old girl who has a kid and is pregnant with another (both from her father), is grossly overweight, and she can’t read or write. When she is at home her demon mother abuses her verbally and physically and she just doesn’t get ANY breaks. As the story progresses things generally become darker and darker as it seems every good turn is met with an equally bad turn. The performances are excellent here, but this is a sorrowing film that never has a happy ending.

Lionsgate serves up a very nice visual presentation with rich contrast and impeccable detail. The visual style wavers a lot through the film and some of the darker sequences look a tad flat, but it’s hardly worth mentioning. Colors are slightly muted but fit the mood of the film. The audio is also quite good with nice dynamics and a fair amount of ambiance. The score and song selections do a great job with keeping the tension and emotion of the film intact.

Extras deal mostly with the production and include interviews, behind the scenes footage, casting sessions and looks into the creation of the film. You also get some deleted scenes and a feature commentary with the film’s director.

This is a brutal film that is darker than most tales you see from the inner city. While full of great performances, this isn’t a film for the casual movie night.