What is precious about precious's life?
The film's first story is about Precious herself, a character whose endlessly miserable life is like something out of The Trojan Women: When she's not getting raped and impregnated by her father, she's getting sexually, physically, and verbally abused by her mother Mary (Mo'Nique.) She even gets pushed around by strangers on the street.
What is the name of the movie Precious?
Precious (film) Jump to navigation Jump to search. Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire, or simply Precious, is a 2009 American drama film, directed and co-produced by Lee Daniels. The script was written by Geoffrey S. Fletcher, adapted from the 1996 novel Push by Sapphire.
Is precious by Mariah Carey based on a book?
MariahCarey.com (official website). Archived from the original on June 3, 2010. Retrieved March 24, 2010. ^ "Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire (2009)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved August 8, 2021. ^ "Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire (2009): Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved December 26, 2009.
Where is the hope in the story of precious?
It's in the "system story." To paraphrase Roger Ebert's review, the film's hope comes from alternative school teacher Blu Rain (Paula Patton) and from social worker Mrs. Weiss (Mariah Carey), both of whom see Precious' terrible life and want to help her.
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Is Precious a real story?
"The level of abuse I suffered is not nearly as extreme as in the book, and there is no character in the story, not even the teacher, who is based on me." Rather, Precious is a composite character, she says, created from the real-life stories she encountered while teaching for seven years, from 1987 to 1993, in an ...
What happens at the end of Precious?
Weiss' office, the system gets Mary to explain why she's so terrible, which seems to make Mary feel some empathy for her daughter. And then, in one of the last moments of the film, Precious tells her mother that's she's never coming home. She takes her newborn baby and she leaves.
What was the point of the movie Precious?
Based on the novel “Push” by Sapphire, who drew from her experiences as a reading teacher in Harlem, Precious explores the interior life of what must be one of the universe's most tormented souls: Claireece Precious Jones, an obese, illiterate16-year-old girl from Harlem whose regular abuse at the hands of her father ...
How did Precious get pregnant?
Push (novel) Precious has recently fallen pregnant with her second child, the result of being raped by her Father, also the father of Precious' first child. The school has decided to send her to an alternative school because she is pregnant.
What does the red scarf symbolize in Precious?
The red scarf is constantly seen throughout the movie, from the street lamp to being worn around Precious' neck or arm. This is the only color in her life and it is a symbol of hope for her.
Who or what does Mary blame when her husband Precious's father assaults Precious?
Mary reveals that Carl molested Precious numerous times since she was only 3 years old and that she blames Precious for him leaving. The reason for Precious' antagonistic relationship with her mother was her mom being jealous that her husband would rather have sex with his daughter than with her.
What happened to Precious first baby?
The first baby has Down syndrome and is named “Mongo” (“short for 'mongoloid,'” Precious explains); to her good fortune, the little girl lives with Precious's grandmother, except when Mary briefly imports her to the apartment for social-worker visits so that she can continue receiving the welfare check the child ...
What disability does Precious have?
She is obese, illiterate, dirt poor and living in a seedy flat in Harlem with a mother from hell. She is expecting her second child. Her first child (whom she calls 'Mongol') has Down's syndrome. Both children were conceived out of incest with her father.
Is Precious sad?
Sad and intense, something teens should see This movie was very powerful yet depressing to see how much Precious struggled. Her brutal parents beat and raped her, and there's a lot of bad language. It's something that teens should see to see how lucky they really are, and to see what some people have suffered.
Did Precious get her GED?
Precious got to an 8 th grade level within a year and was ready to take her GED. Precious is based on the novel Push , by the writer Sapphire. She taught illiterate adults how to read during the 1980s and '90s. I interviewed Sapphire for WNYC and told her what Yamilka and Alejandro thought about the film.
Is Precious sad?
Sad and intense, something teens should see This movie was very powerful yet depressing to see how much Precious struggled. Her brutal parents beat and raped her, and there's a lot of bad language. It's something that teens should see to see how lucky they really are, and to see what some people have suffered.
Is there a sequel to Precious?
The Kid is the sequel to Sapphire's 1996 novel Push, about a girl called Precious who is routinely sexually abused by both her mother and father.
How does the kid by Sapphire end?
The story ended with Precious, now HIV-positive, promising to protect and love her second-born, the boy she named Abdul.
Why is precious way leaving Days of Our Lives?
No official reason for the recast has been given, although last summer, it was announced that Way had been cast to star alongside rap legend MC Lyte in the upcoming TV series PARTNERS IN RHYME. In it, Way will play Luscious T, an up-and-coming high-school rapper who thinks she's the next big thing.
What is precious based on?
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire, or simply Precious, is a 2009 American drama film, directed and co-produced by Lee Daniels. Its script was written by Geoffrey S. Fletcher, adapted from the 1996 novel Push by Sapphire. The film stars Gabourey Sidibe, Mo'Nique, Paula Patton, and Mariah Carey.
What was the original title of the movie Precious?
Precious, then without a distributor, premiered to acclaim at both the 2009 Sundance Film Festival and the 2009 Cannes Film Festival, under its original title of Push: Based on the Novel by Sapphire. At Sundance, it won the Audience Award and the Grand Jury Prize for best drama, as well as a Special Jury Prize for supporting actress Mo'Nique.
When did precious come out?
Lionsgate gave the film a limited release in North America on November 6, 2009, with an expanded release on November 20. Precious received widespread critical acclaim; the performances of Sidibe and Mo'Nique, the story, and its message were highly praised. The film was a box office success, earning over $63 million on a $10 million budget.
How much did precious gross?
Precious grossed a total of $40,320,285 in over six weeks of release. The film opened at ninth place in the United Kingdom, with revenues totaling £259,000 in its opening weekend from a limited release of 47 cinemas, generating a £5,552 screen average.
What did Precious learn from Blu Rain?
Inspired by her new teacher, Blu Rain, Precious finally learns to read and write . She meets sporadically with social worker Ms. Weiss, who learns about the sexual assault in the household when Precious reveals who fathered her children. While Precious is in the hospital giving birth to her second child, Abdul, she meets and develops a crush on John McFadden, a nursing assistant who shows her kindness. When Precious returns home, Mary asks to hold Abdul; however, when Precious's back is turned, Mary purposely drops the baby and attacks her, angrily declaring that Precious's revelation about the abuse has resulted in them being cut off from welfare. Precious fights back and runs away with Abdul, and Mary deliberately tries to drop her television set on them; Precious eventually breaks into her school classroom for shelter. When Ms. Rain discovers them the next morning, she frantically calls local shelters looking for a safe place for Precious and Abdul to live in, but they end up staying with Ms. Rain and her live-in girlfriend. The next morning, Ms. Rain takes her and Abdul to find assistance for them; Precious will be able to continue her schooling while raising Abdul in a halfway house .
How much did precious make in 2009?
Precious was given a limited-theatrical release on November 6, 2009, and was originally scheduled to appear on screens only in North America. During its opening weekend, the film earned $1,872,458, which placed twelfth on that weekend's box office list, despite being in only 18 theaters. The film saw a 214 percent increase in its second week of release, earning $5,874,628 at 174 theaters, which catapulted it up to third place in that weekend's box office, with a per-theater average of $33,762. On November 20, 2009, the film received a wider release, showing at 629 theaters (thus tripling the number of theaters showing the film). In its third week, Precious, as studios had previously estimated, placed sixth at the box office, with the revenues estimated $11,008,000—an 87.4% increase from the previous week.
How much did the movie Precious make?
The film was a box office success, earning over $63 million on a $10 million budget. Precious received six nominations at the 82nd Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director for Daniels, and Best Actress for Sidibe.
What is the first story of Precious?
The film’s first story is about Precious herself, a character whose endlessly miserable life is like something out of The Trojan Women: When she’s not getting raped and impregnated by her father, she’s getting sexually, physically, and verbally abused by her mother Mary (Mo’Nique.)
When does precious take place?
Of course, Precious takes place in 1987 . We can go to Harlem right now and see that there are still plenty of people who suffer there. So what should we do about it? Should we pump our energy into the systems that try to help the poor and abused? Maybe we should. Maybe we can spare the next generation from the fate that befell their ancestors. Precious, at least, encourages us to try.
Why are the scenes in The Precious stirring?
These scenes are stirring because they show us the Precious that wants to be born. Buried inside her miserable life, there’s a sweet, thoughtful, poetic young woman, and when the movie cuts back to the world where she’s forced to live, the brief vision of her imagination has made her reality even harder to watch.
What is the thrust of the precious story?
And that’s the thrust of the “Precious story:” A girl who has no reason to live keeps finding reasons to live. She gets stomped and stomped and stomped, but she still goes to an alternative school that will help her learn to read and write; she still does sweet things for her baby; and she still tries to make friends.
Does precious get a happy ending?
No one can raise the Greeks who have died, but the people can take mournful comfort in knowing that it doesn't have to be this way anymore. Precious doesn't get a happy ending, but as she heads toward her own death, she can know that a happy ending may be possible for her child.
Who plays Blu Rain in Precious?
To paraphrase Roger Ebert’s review, the film’s hope comes from alternative school teacher Blu Rain (Paula Patton) and from social worker Mrs. Weiss (Mariah Carey), both of whom see Precious’ terrible life and want to help her. Advertisement.
Does precious die in Slumdog Millionaire?
But this isn’t Slumdog Millionaire. At the climax of the film, we learn that Precious’s father has died of HIV. Her baby doesn’t have it, but Precious does. So for all her imagination and spark, Precious is going to die. (For a poor black woman in Harlem in 1987, HIV was a death sentence.)
What happened to precious after she was pregnant?
Following the discovery of Precious' second pregnancy, she is suspended from school. Her junior high school principal arranges to have her attend an alternative school, which she hopes can help Precious change her life's direction. Precious finds a way out of her traumatic daily existence through imagination and fantasy.
What happened to Precious after Mary dropped Abdul?
After Mary deliberately drops three-day-old Abdul and hits Precious, Precious fights back long enough to get her son and flees her home, permanently. Shortly after leaving the house, in an attempt to get out of the cold outside, Precious breaks into her school classroom and is found there in the morning by Miss Rain. The teacher finds assistance for Precious and she begins raising her son in a half-way house while she continues academically.
What happens to precious after leaving the house?
Shortly after leaving the house, in an attempt to get out of the cold outside, Precious breaks into her school classroom and is found there in the morning by Miss Rain. The teacher finds assistance for Precious and she begins raising her son in a half-way house while she continues academically.
What is the book called that is based on the book Precious?
Even though the film Precious packs quite a wallop, the gritty realism of the novel upon which the movie is based is even more intense. Originally called Push (but recently renamed Precious to coincide with the film), the book, by the writer known simply as Sapphire, tells the story of a dark-skinned, heavy-set, illiterate African-American girl who has survived multiple pregnancies by her father.
What does Sapphire hope for in Precious?
And, Sapphire says, she hopes that her film will inspire people to have more understanding and compassion for girls like Precious. Recently she was approached by a white woman in Utah who told her that after seeing the film that she would never look at an overweight black woman again with the same judgment:
Who wrote the novel Push?
Sapphire wrote the novel Push (renamed Precious) in a fractured ghetto patois that grew out of the author's experiences as a remedial reading teacher. Sapphire wrote the novel Push (renamed Precious) in a fractured ghetto patois that grew out of the author's experiences as a remedial reading teacher. Read An Excerpt.
What is the name of the book Sapphire wrote?
Sapphire wrote the novel Push ( renamed Precious) in a fractured ghetto patois that grew out of the author's experiences as a remedial reading teacher. Read An Excerpt. Even though the film Precious packs quite a wallop, the gritty realism of the novel upon which the movie is based is even more intense. Originally called Push (but recently renamed ...
When did Precious take place?
1. This story took place in the 1980s. Had Precious lived today, how would the child welfare system and the criminal justice system have reacted to her situation in ways that are not shown in the film?
What is precious's mother's job?
Precious is required by her mother, Mary, to cook, clean, and go to the store. Mary spends her days and nights sitting in a chair watching TV. When Mary does get out of the chair, it’s usually to beat Precious for some minor infraction or for no reason at all.
Why is precious important to Mary?
But Precious is valuable to Mary because Precious and Mongo, the Down Syndrome daughter to which Precious gave birth at age 12, increase the size of Mary’s welfare check — although Mongo lives with Mary’s mother, visiting only when the welfare worker comes to check on the family.
What is it like to be raised unloved, abused, and hopeless?
This film provides insight into what it’s like to be raised unloved, abused, and hopeless. It shows that with love and nurturing even children of the most dysfunctional families can move forward with their lives and attain a triumph of the human spirit. Showing this film and using the materials in the Learning Guide will increase understanding of the scourge of childhood sexual abuse. (CDC estimates are that about 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys will be victims of childhood sexual abuse.) The CDC states that in the U.S. 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 13 boys experience child sexual abuse before the age of 18.
Who plays Mary in the movie Precious?
Gabourey Sidibe as Precious; Mo’Nique as Mary; Paula Patton as Ms. Rain; Mariah Carey as Ms. Weiss; Sherri Shepherd as Cornrows; Lenny Kravitz as Nurse John; Stephanie Andujar as Rita; Chyna Layne as Rhonda; Amina Robinson as Jermaine; Xosha Roquemore as Joann; Angelic Zambrana as Consuelo Aunt Dot as Toosie; Nealla Gordon as Mrs. Liechtenstein.
When was Push by Sapphire first published?
See Links to the Internet and the Reader’s Guide at the end of the novel Push by Sapphire, First Vintage Contemporaries Edition, May 1997. All page references in this Learning Guide are to that edition.
Who gave precious HIV?
The incestuous father gave Precious HIV. However, when Precious is sent to an alternative school and placed under the tutelage of a nurturing teacher named Blue Rain, Precious blossoms. She gets over the fact that Ms. Rain is a “homo”, a group that Mary told her were dangerous, and starts learning to read.
Overview
Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire, or simply Precious, is a 2009 American drama film, directed and co-produced by Lee Daniels. Its script was written by Geoffrey S. Fletcher, adapted from the 1996 novel Push by Sapphire. The film stars Gabourey Sidibe, Mo'Nique, Paula Patton, and Mariah Carey. This marked the acting debut of Sidibe, who portrays a young woman struggling against poverty and abuse. Filming took place in New York City from October to Nove…
Plot
In 1987, 16-year-old Claireece "Precious" Jones lives in New York City's Harlem neighborhood with her unemployed mother, Mary, who has long subjected her to physical and verbal abuse. Precious has also been raped by her now-absent father, Carl, resulting in two pregnancies. The family resides in a Section 8 tenement and survives on welfare. Precious's first child, a daughter named "Mongo" (short for Mongoloid), has Down syndrome and is being cared for by Precious's grandmo…
Cast
• Gabourey Sidibe as Claireece "Precious" Jones. The film's casting director, Billy Hopkins, found her at an open-call audition held at New York City's Lehman College. Sidibe was chosen over 300 others who auditioned in nationwide casting calls and had no prior acting experience.
• Mo'Nique as Mary Lee Johnston, Precious's unemployed, profane, and abusive mother. Mo'Nique and Daniels had previously worked together in Shadowboxer (in which her character was named Precious). I…
Production
Daniels had said that he was attracted to the initial novel based on how "raw and honest" it felt. In an interview with AMC he noted that reading the book brought back a memory from his childhood of a young abused girl who knocked on his family's door, claiming that her mom was going to kill her. Daniels recalls that the incident was the first time he saw his mother frightened, specifically noting the helplessness of the situation, and stating "she knew that she'd have to send this little …
Music
Lionsgate, in association with Matriarch/Geffen Records released the soundtrack online as a digital download on November 3, 2009, and in stores on November 23. Daniels confirmed that Mary J. Blige's "I Can See in Color" song will be released as a single from the soundtrack. The song was written by Blige, Raphael Saadiq and LaNeah Menzies and is produced by Raphael Saadiq. The soundtrack consists of various artists (Labelle, Donna Allen, Jean Carn, Sunny Gale…
Release
Precious was screened during the 2009 Sundance Film Festival from January 15, 2009, until January 25 in Park City, Utah. At Sundance, Precious was listed under its original title of Push: Based On The Novel By Sapphire; however, the title was later altered to avoid confusion with another 2009 film entitled Push. Precious appeared in the Un Certain Regard, an award section recognising unique and in…
Reception
Precious received favorable reviews from film critics, particularly for Sidibe's and Mo'Nique's performances. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 92% of 238 critics gave the film a positive review, with a rating average of 7.80/10. The site's consensus is that "Precious is a grim yet ultimately triumphant film about abuse and inner-city life, largely bolstered by exceptiona…
See also
• Cinema of the United States
• List of American films of 2009