SSB Entry #7: Precious

SSB Entry #7: Precious

Finally, a movie hits the list. To be honest, I haven't really seen that many movies this year, and certainly hadn't seen any that moved me like this one did. Now, I'm not normally one to fawn over Oprah and her wonderful literary and artistic choices, but this film is too important to ignore.



Life is hard. Life is short. Life is painful. Life is rich. Life is....Precious.

Even the tagline to the movie is beautiful. Honestly, this movie was incredibly painful to watch. Not because my life aligned with what I was seeing on the screen (because our lives couldn't have been more different) but rather because my heart ached knowing that the violence and adversity that Claireece Precious Jones faced was real... and rampant. Her story is unfortunately not unique and even more unfortunately, surprising. We hardly ever hear painful stories of domestic child abuse, sexual assault, incestual relations, and illiteracy -- and never all rolled into one tragic package.

But like any other Oprah message, this movie leaves you with a sense of hope. Hope that tomorrow Precious is going to wake up to a new day more empowered than in her last. And hope that she's going to get past this adversity and succeed in this world. And hope that her dreams won't ever get crushed by the cruelties of this world.

I recommend the movie to anyone and every one. It's movies like this that awaken us to pain and struggle in our own country. I feel like the only way to combat that struggle is through education and awareness. And this is one giant step towards empowering women and families with that awareness and knowledge.