Review: PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL PUSH BY SAPPHIRE

Lee Daniels' PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL PUSH BY SAPPHIRE (henceforth known, simply, as PRECIOUS is a remarkable film, set in the 1980s, and anchored by a pair of extraordinary performances.

Gabourey Sidibe plays Clareece 'Precious' Jones, a sixteen year old, morbidly obese black girl from Harlem, who is pregnant with her second child, both fathered by her own dad. She lives with her mother (Mo'nique), who is abusive, mentally and physically. Her daily life is one of despair, only levied by moments of fantasy, shot inventively by Daniels.

Her life begins to change when she joins a new school, for pupils with similarly severe educational needs, but this meets resistance from her mother. The film is absolutely powered through by the performances, and while Sidibe is brilliant, and a certainty to be nominated for Best Actress come Oscar time, it is Mo'nique who dominates the film. Her performance is one of animalistic fury, huge bluster, and occasionally real, raw emotion. It's one of the bravest and most committed performances in memory, and when she wins her Oscar, it will be richly deserved.

The story isn't anything particularly new, although the depth of the horror of Precious' early life is bracing, regardless, but it is told with such skill that you can't help but be transfixed by the bravado of the storytelling. There are some superb supporting performances too, Mariah Carey's is the most noteworthy, but Paula Patton's is the best.

If PRECIOUS sounds like hard work, it is. But as the film progresses, and she grows into a fully functioning human being, one with happiness within her grasp, it also becomes incredibly enriching. Not to be missed.