Precious as a About Child Abuse - Movie Review Example

Precious: From Dark To Light Synopsis: Precious is a movie about child abuse. It is set with a first person narration by the movie’s protagonist Precious played by Gabourey Sidibe. She introduced herself, “My name is Clarice Precious Jones” at the first part of the movie. She is 16 already impregnated twice via rape by her own father, who later died of AIDS. She is the daughter of an abusive, alcoholic, and extremely self-centered mother Mary played by Mo’nique. The story started in the scene where Precious is at her class daydreaming as a beautiful model cover of magazine with a white skinned boyfriend. She then wakes up with the reality at home. She is beaten by her mom physically while she does the chores and cooking at home. One night, her principal at school visited her and seeks to speak with her mom. The principal, Mrs. Lichenstein, talks to her mom about Precious going to an alternative school Each One, Teach One, where, she thinks that Precious would get better learning. Mary, extremely aghast at the suggestion of the principal, beat Precious as soon as the principal left. She blamed Precious for her miserable life, adding accusation of stealing her lover (Precious father) when he raped her child in her presence. She verbally oppress Precious with negative words such as fat, ugly, undesirable and that school will do her no good. She don’t want Precious to go that new school in fear that it would jeopardize the welfare checks coming from the government as she pretends to be a good but jobless mom in front of the Social Welfare. Precious went to the suggested Alternative school Each One, Teach One where she met her understandable but straight A lesbian Ms. Blue Rain. She was encouraged by her new teacher and fellow students on her new environment. She developed her writing abilities as their teacher constantly asked them to write about what is in their hearts. True enough, the welfare checks stopped coming making Mary bellow in total hysterics and once again beat Precious. Precious, tired of lies soon revealed to the Social Welfare about her mom’s cruel treatment to her and asks for assistance to be moved away from her. Precious gave birth to her second child as she is reciting in class. At the hospital she met John, her attending nurse and discovered the fresh feeling of getting attended upon. When she was discharged, she returns home with her mom totally in wreck, determined to bring havoc once again through the many modes of abuse. She ran away with her baby Abdul. Precious got assistance from the social welfare to be housed in special homes but with the special help of Ms. Rain initially. She took her first child Mongo (short for Mongoloid due to the child has down syndrome) and her newly born baby with her. Through the financial aid she is receiving, she was able to raise her children at the same time got back to school. Her mom Mary visited her one time with news that her father died of AIDS. Precious also confirmed her having AIDS to the class. Mary, adamant to take advantage of the welfare checks, strongly sought the social welfare to have Precious get back to her house. She bogusly claims her motherhood concern in front of the social worker Mrs Weiss (Mariah Carey). As Mary and Precious presides in a meeting with Mrs Weiss, the many abuses, incest, and maltreatment done to Precious is revealed. Mary also confesses that her boyfriend Carl, Precious’ father, raped Precious when she was still 3 years old. She allowed such violence in hope to keep his man from leaving her. Mary’s request to have Precious back was denied. The movie ended with Precious holding Mongo and Abdul going to their new home. They are walking towards a new life, away from her strangling mom. Precious walks away with her head up, positively looking at her future ahead. Significant Movie Chunks “Precious” is an intense movie centralized at the theme of child abuse and maltreatment. The story is derived from the novel “Push” by Sapphire. At the birth of the film in 2009, the harsh reality about child abuse was unearthed to the humanity’s sleeping consciousness. The movie is powerfully stirring in such a way that viewers are left unsettled at the issue, but nevertheless, goes home half victorious due to the positive outlook of the ending. Most part of the movie is devoted to the scenes of Precious abused by a lot of people. Her primary tormentor is her mother. She is abused every time she at home. A lot of time she is abused physically. This can be seen in scenes such as Mary knocking precious out using heavy pan. The scene where Mary was kicking on her head while she gives birth to her first child is such a morbid act of physical abuse. Mary also persecutes Precious verbally by accusing her as theft, a no good child, hopeless kid, and other negative words. Precious is sexually abused at a very early age of 3. Her own father, who is rarely present at home, always seizes the opportunity of raping her. This happened again and again which impregnated Precious twice. Her mother, present on the occasions of the rape scene allowed such thing to happen due to her selfishness and fear of being left by her boyfriend. Precious experienced abuse from other people also. She got raped by two boys pinning her down to the ground as she was on her way home from school. She got constantly bullied by a little girl along the neighborhood every time she passed by their house. The little girl is also a product of child abuse at home. There are other significant chunks in the movie portrayed through flashbacks and dreams. Precious constantly goes into the mode of dreaming all through-out the movie. The movie even began with her daydreaming about her teacher. She dreams she is someone else like model with white blond hair and a fair skinned beau. She often talks to herself in front of the mirror in act of consoling herself. She fantasized all the time that she is somewhere else but home. She relapse into her other self in hope to be comforted from her cruel and harsh world. Despite the massive cruelty that Precious receives from the people around her, she still got comfort from other people. The worker at the social welfare was truly enraged at Mary’s horrific treatment to Precious. She assisted Precious on her new life away from the monsters of her life. Her teacher Ms. Rain also showed compassion towards her as she constantly encourages her to bring out the best in her. John, the nurse contributed to the positive side of the world of Precious as he tended her gently during her giving birth of Abdul. These acts of kindness play significance in the life of Precious as she was able to pursue life with hope. The Movie Explained “Precious” is an intense movie, powerful in its theme, stirring up the hearts of viewers. It is a rated movie where not all are allowed to watch. There are scenes of brutality that may be disturbing to some. As stated, “Humanity cannot bear much reality” (French). The theme child abuse is extremely dark and grim. In the context, there are many facets of child abuse and domestic violence. The movie showed the violent ways of abusing children, exposing the effects it has on them. It also touches the part of the social welfare as part taker of anti-child abuse programs which are relevantly present in the society. A family is the heart of society. It should be the first institution where an individual, especially the children receive feelings of love, care and understanding. As such, it is the ideal place to mold children with core values of love. With the presence of violence at homes, the integral foundation of the society is threatened. It directly and indirectly contributes to the disintegration of the society (Relondo, et al). With regards to contexts about child abuse, the movie “Precious” exemplifies a high degree of relevance. In fact, the movie is showing extreme forms of violence that a child may experience. Precious is getting optimum maltreatment from almost all sides of her life. With the fact the movie is fictional, it is amazing to note that Precious still ended up hopeful. As per most case in the context, situations such as Precious experienced will leave a child lifeless, traumatized, and abnormal. Anyone experiencing such extreme forms of abuse would lead to physical, mental, emotional and psychological disorders. Theoretical contexts according to Relondo, et al relating to child abuse would include, but not limited to the following: Victims are traumatized Resilient imagination and power of fantasy of healing of the victims Significance of having a place in the world Principal maternal lack and preoccupation Perverse enjoyment These are vividly evident in the movie. Precious got constantly physical and verbal abuse. She is indeed traumatized by these constant torments. She views herself as unworthy and ugly. She got obese and become slow in learning due to her many issues at home. The impact of abuse is literally visible in Precious in the way she acts, responds, relates to other people and her negative views of life ahead. Precious often relapse into her imagination. The many fantasy world of Precious found in the movie are her means of escape from the cruelty of her real world. She finds comfort in her dreams as she has freedom to imagine who she would be, what she would look like, who she would be with and where she would be. She constantly transpires herself into the other dimension in her mind seeking lighter shade of life. The presence of maternal care is the primary source of strength of children. Children basically need mothering to nurture them on their growth. Mothers are supposed to be the primary caregivers. It is equally important that mothers have stable mental condition to provide the care they are required for their children (Relondo, et al). In the movie, it is obvious that Mary lacks maternal requirement. She is at the very least considered as a mother to Precious as she is the main tormentor of her child. She incessantly abuses her child even as she was young. She is a horrifying and monstrous mother totally lacking of knowledge of her child’s needs but only lives with her own selfish greed. She even got jealous of her daughter when his lover chooses to rape their daughter rather than making love to her. Because of this, she became resentful of her daughter considering her more like a rival than a child that needs her love and protection. She is an epitome of a monster dwelling in the blackhole of self-centeredness (Orr). She is a victim of her own envy and jealousy. She failed to recognize other people’s needs such as her daughters’. The movie reiterates the presence of social welfare. This is a positive side of the story as well as in the present society. It is important that when the foundation of the society-which is the family, is in shambles, another institution is ready to remedy such concern. It is important that a child victimized of abuse should have different link other than her perpetrators. They identify victims of such abuse and offer assistance for their recovery. In the movie, it is evident that the social welfare made way for Precious salvation from her dark life. They provided home and financial assistance to her. Also important is the internal healing of the victim. In the movie, Precious had several sessions with her teacher and social welfare and have her internal issues addressed. Due to her trauma, she hid herself in a cocoon where no one can touch or hurt her. But with the constant help from her teacher, the revelation of what is in her heart as well as her dreams contributed to her healing. The process of healing will take long. Precious still have a long way to go. Personal Insights: The movie “Precious” is powerfully and intensely moving. It bereft me of joy. The reality of life is indeed harsh to accept. I consider Precious as a strong woman. Considering her situation, the way she positively looked at life, she is a victor. She was able to overcome herself and took charge of what is in her. It is not easy to be abused in many forms. Though the movie is fictional, still, a lot of people can relate with the character. There are many instances in life where one can get discouraged easily. In viewing the movie, it nags me about hope. It reminds me that no matter how life may seem bad sometimes, still there is hope to cling upon. There are other people who have bigger burdens to carry, yet they are still hopeful for life. The movie is touching. I myself would want to dedicate in finding children who are victims of abuses. I admire the social welfare. They cater those wounded people and help them find life again. If I were in the movie, I would stand up and fight for the protection of Precious and her children. She deserved love and care. There are many Precious in the world. There are those who are still in the cage of harassment and waiting for salvation. The movie moved me much that I want to be part of the healing of victims like Precious. I would be willing to provide nurturing to them and help them find second home. I would want to serve as a guidance counselor, making the healing process of children possible and free them from trauma and fear. The children are the future leaders. I want to be part of molding these children to become good leaders and minimize future monsters in the society. Works Cited French, Philip. Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire. The Observer. The Guardian. 31 January 2010. Web. 2 March 2014. Orr, Christopher. The Movie Review: “Precious”. The New Republic. Web. 3 March 2014 Relondo, MC., Carmen, P.D. Psychological Study on Child Sexual Abuse: An example of a Focus Group Experts from the Film Precious. Opcion. Vol 28, No. 67. 2012. Web. 2 March 2014 Read More