Last night, I saw the film Precious based on the novel written by Sapphire, called Push.
Push is about a young girl from Harlem named Precious who has been physically, mentally and sexually abused her entire life. The book flashes back and details the horrific suffering Precious endured, raped and impregnated by her father.
I read the book 5 years ago and wasn't looking forward to the movie. The graphic details of abuse, incest and hopelessness haunted me for a long time after I finished it. So haunting, that every time I thought about it, my heart ached, my eyes welled-up and I had to make myself think "happy thoughts" before I just lost it.
I'd heard stories of molestation and rape from friends before so it wasn't like I was unaware of how these terrible acts stay with people. What made Precious's situation difficult was for how long the abuse happened and how no one did anything to stop it. Precious just fell through the cracks, which was heartbreaking.
And break my heart, Precious did. To me, the story was not just about the physical and sexual abuse of a young girl by her mother and father(even though that was the worst). The story was also about how inadequate Precious felt, because nobody loved her.
What really stayed with me was how "invisible" Precious was, despite her physical presence. In class. At home. On the streets. Everywhere. It's something that many of us can relate to. Working our butts off on a school project, only to get little credit. Putting 110% in at our jobs for years, never getting promoted. Giving our all in our relationships, only to have it not work out. We've all been there and felt that way about something or the other in our lives...this is why I know that I'm not alone in saying that there's a little bit of Precious in all of us, whether we want to admit it or not.
I won't give away all the details for those who haven't seen the film but I will say that Precious stays true to the novel which is a rarity. I'm encouraging everyone to read the book first, then see the movie. But be prepared. Precious is not a feel good, warm and fuzzy film. It's raw and hurtful and at times shocking. But it's something that we need to be aware of so that we can talk about prevention and hopefully have no more Precious girls.
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