Hip-Hop Island

Precious. At a loss of words five minutes into the movie, laughing around minute 10, swearing and clenching fists through most of it, and covering your face from shock by the end. Newcomer Gabourey Sidibe plays Claireece 'Precious' Jones an illerate, young woman who has been raped by her father and births two children from those rapes. Life is certainly hard for Precious, but the severe abuse she endures by her mother -- played by the magnificent Mo'Nique -- is terrifying and Precious accepts each head object thrown at her and sexual abuse with nothing but tired sadness. Paula Patton plays Blu Rain a teacher who has seen the worst of the worst situations in the kids that pass through her G.E.D. prep program, but it's through her push and the snarky but friendly classmates that Precious gains small hope to keep going. Precious is not happy ending because Life just doesn't work out that way. In Lee Daniels' adaption of the novel Push by Sapphire, he forces Precious to not have hope for a better life, but to simply find a way to survive. Precious Jones isn't afraid of death; she needs to focus on how she's going to raise her children. Gabourey's screen debut is an epic performance and Mo'Nique plays this monster of a mother so well she deserves a supporting actress Oscar nomination. Even Mariah Carey's role as a social worker is surprising and her utter disgust at the end is an emotion that synced with the whole audience.