https://padlet.com/aleaphartcurry19/5dg7p3yateha Critique of Lee Daniels' 2009 film Precious. en-us 2019-03-20 12:29:42 UTC 2025-10-12 06:41:13 UTC hello@padlet.com aleaphartcurry19 https://padlet.com/aleaphartcurry19/5dg7p3yateha/wish/343284243 Precious, Lee Daniel’s blockbuster hit from 2009 is groundbreaking and explores a myriad of themes, that are culturally relevant, especially to the Black community, from the perspective of Clareese “Precious” Jones, a denigrated girl who has endured abuse from her parents and peers and is oppressed that she does not like herself and is unable to accept immutable aspects of her identity. The film’s focus on issues like colorism, trauma, and masculinity, and women presence are the most interesting.  

]]> 2019-03-20 12:39:53 UTC https://padlet.com/aleaphartcurry19/5dg7p3yateha/wish/343284243 aleaphartcurry19 https://padlet.com/aleaphartcurry19/5dg7p3yateha/wish/343289100 Precious is heavily impacted by colorism. She has no notion of self appreciation, and it manifests in her self view. Daniels' often includes scenes where Precious briefly escapes her reality through imagination. After, a night of verbal abuse from her mother Mary, as Precious dresses for school she peers into the mirror and quickly imagines herself as a white woman with blonde curly hair and light colored eyes. This scene emphasizes Precious' detachment from herself and how her coveting of whiteness stems from being degraded for being a dark skin girl. ]]> 2019-03-20 12:49:15 UTC https://padlet.com/aleaphartcurry19/5dg7p3yateha/wish/343289100 aleaphartcurry19 https://padlet.com/aleaphartcurry19/5dg7p3yateha/wish/343297697 Daniel's fails to properly, extract the notion of adoption or abortion in the Black community, even if a parent doesn't have the resources to properly care for their children, This is similar to Precious' predicament, When she gives birth to her son, towards the end of the film, Precious, who is homeless and jobless wants to keep her baby, even though there are no realistic prospects for her to properly care for him. Even as her trusted teacher Ms.Rain attempts to nudge Precious into allowing a family with the means to give her son the life Precious want him to have, she refuses to let him go, because he is her’s. This is similar to the mindset of Mary, who is abusive and sometimes can not feed Precious, refuses to let her go, even if it meant bettering herself. Lee Daniel’s should’ve exposed the theme of maternal responsibility more deeply as it relates to poor black women, as the taboo of adoption or abortion was not explored. 

]]> 2019-03-20 13:05:02 UTC https://padlet.com/aleaphartcurry19/5dg7p3yateha/wish/343297697 aleaphartcurry19 https://padlet.com/aleaphartcurry19/5dg7p3yateha/wish/343315751 Samaishah Tillet pontificates on the comparison made by filmmaker Aishah Simmons, regarding the portrayal of black mother’s on government assistance. “Why, for example, did Tim Disney’s American Violet, a film set in the same Reagan era, starring Alfre Woodard, about single African-American mother unjustly incarcerated for dealing drugs, receive so little attention this summer?” (Tillet). The film Precious  certainly conjures up stereotypes created by Ronald Reagan’s depicting black mother’s as irresponsible and subversive and while Daniel’s is able to portray the violence Precious is subjugated to by Mary, who is reliant on Welfare, Daniel’s fails to successfully distinguish his narrative from that which would demonize all black mothers dependent on government assistance.]]> 2019-03-20 13:35:35 UTC https://padlet.com/aleaphartcurry19/5dg7p3yateha/wish/343315751 aleaphartcurry19 https://padlet.com/aleaphartcurry19/5dg7p3yateha/wish/343321119 This narrative also puts into question the ending of the film, Precious is able to develop strength from within herself and is confident enough to walk away from her manipulative and abusive mother, and take her two children. But Precious, a new mother of two, one with disabilities, who has no substantive education past 8th grade, and like her mother is reliant on Welfare has little support externally. My intention isn’t to question public assistance and it’s a necessity but how a person like Precious is to be a successful person as a mother, living in the same conditions her mother Mary raised her in. Daniels does not answer this question: Isn’t Precious bound to end up like her mother Mary, poor, hopeless, and loveless, which could transform into malice that she would project on her children? The film extends to embrace the status quo, where a young mother, making $2.12 an hour can achieve success when she is illiterate, and no one is directly addressing her disparities and recognizing her humanity by proactively uplifting her, instead offering her what the world often does to poor black women. Shameless status quo, when Precious obviously deserves and needs more involved help, more than Ms.Rain passing her, when she struggles with reading, and more than a white social worker placing Precious in a work program where she’d be relegated to a servant while making pennies on the dollar to scrounge together change for her family. 

]]> 2019-03-20 13:44:23 UTC https://padlet.com/aleaphartcurry19/5dg7p3yateha/wish/343321119 aleaphartcurry19 https://padlet.com/aleaphartcurry19/5dg7p3yateha/wish/343325072 Daniel’s ultimately displays the malicious nature between mother and child in Precious, but leaves certain societal questions unanswered in his films, while Precious may have found strength, stigmas against, poor, dark skin, plus size, black women exist, and will unfortunately manifest obstacles in Precious’ way, which Daniel’s fails to properly address, as many other young women in reality whose identity is similar to Precious will face those stigmas with little help.

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