Precious (Gaboure Sidibe) has a name that no one really believes. Her mother, Mary Jones (Monique), doesn't believe it, her father doesn't believe it, no one on the street believes it by looking at her; and finally, Precious is left wondering if she believes it. But this tale that's been supported by Oprah and Tyler Perry among others attacks evil in the dark where it hides, and drags it out into the light for our evaluation.

I feel like I've seen the "gist" of this movie before; whether it was Dangerous Minds, Freedom Writers, or Coach Carter, I've seen movies about teacher types who take their unwilling, abused, and neglected students from where they are and help transport them to where they should/want to be. Yes, in the first two, it's about a white person providing that transformative opportunity, and in Precious, nearly everything "white" is considered "bad," like when our heroine longs to be a skinny white girl. I'm also aware that the ratio is about 8:1 between women and men, providing an interesting insight into development and culture, with the one good man and one bad man "counterbalancing" each other. (In a strange way, the other movie that Precious calls to mind is 8 Mile. Hmmm....)

It's definitely hard core stuff we're dealing with here, and certainly not something that's completely new, though, either. The Cider House Rules and Antwone Fisher have both dealt with black-on-black sexual abuse (even incest) and done it in a way that made you feel like eight showers in a row wouldn't wash off that sad, sick feeling you had on the inside. But this is a story that Toni Morrison would love, one you feel in your bones. The rape(s) of Precious are brutal to watch (I had to avert my eyes, quite honestly) and it's hard to find myself "recommending" the movie in Blu-ray clarity for all to see the violence and damage done to an adolescent.

And that's the damning part. What happens to Precious is awful, because it's both familial and systematic. She's failed by her father and her mother, who rape her body, her mind, and her soul, and by the education system which passes her along and doesn't seem to care about her (or anyone) else. When she finally establishes a "safe place," she's given the opportunity to shine, and to find her voice, and that helps her face her demons and battle back. It's awful that we do this to each other, especially our own families, and it's a shame that we as a society can't reach in and help the victim fight it.

That's what I get out of Precious, buried under all the filth that the movie throws at us intentionally, bludgeoning us with the sickness of Precious' situation. Precious finds out who she is, liberates herself from the situation, and uses the scars she's endured to help her tell a story. In a way (wait for it....) Precious is a Christ-figure. (Is she perfect? No! But please, work with me.) She endures, she fights for her children, she longs to do right, and in the end, she makes it work.

Precious is, well, precious, and in the end, she finds herself and tells her story. Is there more than that? Find our true selves (be saved by grace) and tell our story (share with others what God has done). Seems pretty elemental to me.