I finally saw this movie! I can remember uttering the words "wow" several times during and after this film. I must say the performances in this film were absolutely incredible! In other words, wow! This was probably one of the only films this year where I was so profoundly moved with emotion, disturbed, repulsed, angry, proud and sad at the same time. Precious did this to you. I read some reviews that angrily protested "Precious" as just another bad name for Black women. But honestly, I did not walk away from this film feeling in any way offended or feeling that this film put Black women in a bad light. I felt, rather, that this film was a portrait on what this young lady struggled through daily...her joy, her pain, her suffering, her resilience. I think also because the film portrayed the characters and their struggles through such powerful performances through its actors, it gave the film quality.

Everyone in this film was literally stripped of makeup, hair pieces, and jewelery (Yes, even Ms. Mariah Carey). Everyone was stripped of their artificial glamour in some sense, illustrating the raw, real beauty of everyday people. Precious wasn't just her physical appearance. Her dark skin and weight slowly began to become less evident as the audience was abruptly being reeled into her life. Precious was a human being. We sympathized for her, we felt angry for her, we shed tears for her. We wanted her to succeed and to break free from the chains of abuse on all levels. We loved her.

It was Precious, "a character that everyone wanted to hate," who was the protagonist. It was she who broke her own chains. It was also the women of color in her classes that supported her, laughed with her, cried with her, loved her. For once, in the image of the poor, black and impoverished youth, Precious was not saved by a white savior. She was saved by images of herself. And, that was love.

-Sophia