Precious

Precious: based on the novel Push by Sapphire (2009) at IMDB

There will be spoilers. Consider not reading on if it will be a problem.

The extra long title is apparently due to a run of bad luck, both of the first two title choices (Push and unadorned Precious) were already taken by another movie during the same year.

A powerful, but ultimately flawed story, of a much abused teen girl who is on the path to becoming a better person. Precious is the name of very fat, uneducated, pregnant with a child from an incestous rape, abused young girl. Her mother tells Precious that she is worthless, accuses her of stealing the mom's man (Precious's dad), is abusive towards Precious's first child, and is repulsive in every way she can be.

In spite of this background Precious is willing and interested in improving her lot in life. Over the course of the film she learns to read and write, use math to evaluate a job opportunity, and plan for her future.

But in spite of these advances in her skills, the odds against her are clearly overwhelming, in some ways get worse over the course of the film, and the film ends with her, at least figuratively setting off on her own, with two kids, one of whom is developmentally challenged, an incomplete education, no job, and no boyfriend.

All she has is determination. Will it be enough? It is hard to feel optomistic.

Two boiled pig's feet out of four. (With or without collard greens)