"I'm gonna break through or somebody gonna break through to me": Venerability in Precious

This edition of Short Cut looks at Lee Daniels’s critically acclaimed Precious (2009), which won two Oscars, a BAFTA and was nominated for over one hundred other awards. This humble film packs a punch and certainly left critics and audiences alike with a lasting impression.

Its candid, shaky cameras; minimal use of music and other effects, and total focus on a simplistic but haunting story achieve this effect. It is a story reinforcing how the most ordinary people, living on the fringes of society, lead almost unbelievable lives.

With backing from people such as Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey and a budget of roughly ten million US dollars, this film creates the illusion that we have simply stumbled upon the elaborate lives of this dysfunctional family and, while there are certain things we may not wish to see, this film does not allow us to look away.

Precious tells us of the life of Claireece Precious Jones, a 16-year-old single mother to two children. She is the victim of incest and relentless abuse at the hands of her father and her mother Mary. Precious struggles to care for her children and mother, let alone herself. Due to her pregnancy, she is sent to another school, where an encouraging teacher shows her education can lead to a better life. Precious thrives here and discovers her talent for writing.

Precious is not easy to watch, but it is important. Watching so many despicable acts of abuse is a lot to take. You find yourself bracing for the next one and hoping the film will somewhat gloss over it just to get a break, but this is the character’s reality and to minimise this is to take away from their struggle and pain.

This is why every other aspect of the film is so uncomplicated. To go over the top or be extravagant with cinematography or editing would make the film sensationalised, making it less real and making the abuse less impactful.

The members of Precious’s family are essentially monsters and so the film hangs in a balance between horror and drama. Crossing the line too far over into horror would make the film less emotive and crossing too far over into drama would make it melodramatic and unbelievable. The viewer needs to be shocked, but also form an emotional connection with our protagonist. They still need to find a way to root for good over evil. The film’s delicate touch to a brutal story, as well as the film’s handling of the ‘monster’, keeps the film serious and impactful but emotional. This brings us to our scene.

Mary becomes Precious’s only parental figure (and I use that term loosely). The monstrous feminine, and indeed the monstrous mother, is a fairly common feature of cinema. It is most often used in the horror genre, but it is creeping more and more into other genres. As far as the audience is concerned, Mary could be in a horror film. She certainly is a villain. The only time she isn’t abusive is when she needs something from Precious or her grandchildren, mostly for her personal and financial gain.

This blog post is about, for me, the film’s most emotive scene and keeps that balance between horror and drama. I think I could quote this scene word for word, but it isn’t just the dialogue that is stunning; it is the performances, the style, it’s everything.

In an attempt to get her family and her welfare back, Mary meets with Precious and social worker Ms Weiss (played by Mariah Carey - who knew she could act?) to try to be reunited with her daughter, whose education is progressing and who can start to see a better life for herself. The scene is filmed in a dull office with a shaky camera and no music like we have stumbled upon this scene of a family in crisis and we can’t help but keep watching.

Mary starts the scene in an expected way. Her manipulative nature comes through as she lies and acts to hopefully get what she wants. This act continues until she feels threatened. Then she turns to aggression and her abusive side comes out.

The fear is that she might not get what she wants coupled with the shame she feels having a third party speak openly about the abuse that took place in her home. This is the first time you see her show not only shame but also guilt.

This scene answers the question: what makes a good villain? The answer?: backstory and motivation. This scene provides one brief window into Mary’s life and world and what has led her to become such an evil person. We don’t condone or excuse her behaviour, but at least Precious and the viewer can start to understand her decisions.

She says it very simply, but with so much genuine pain. Her voice cracks and she starts to cry. Her partner abused her, used her and left her; “Who was gonna love me?”, “Who was gonna make me feel good?”. Much like Precious, she just wanted her most basic human need to be loved to be fulfilled.

Mary’s character captures the reality of the welfare system and people who are disadvantaged. At a glance, we think we know who these people are and what they are like, but we actually don’t. We assume and stereotype. Annoyed by Ms Weiss because she challenges Mary’s behaviour and accuses her of allowing abuse to happen in her home, her anger and broken spirit comes through; “You sit there and you write them fucking notes on your pad about who you think I am”. Mary is both the abuser and the abused, the monster and the victim of her own monster. This duality is a sad reality that most would rather not face.

Mo’Nique’s portrayal of Mary makes this scene, if not the entire film. It isn’t just what is said, but how it is said. Her alteration from aggression to defensiveness to total vulnerability and back again is seamless. Every approach to every emotion is in keeping with her character. There is great skill in being able to display such a variety of genuine emotions in such a short space of time. A victim of incest herself, there is no doubt that Mo’Nique was the perfect choice for this role.

This scene is so emotive. It is draining, but its immersion in the real world keeps it from slipping into the melodramatic. The location, the acting, and even having Mariah Carey in no make-up and taking away all glamour makes the scene feel like a window on a very harsh reality; a reminder that real stories are often the ones that stick with us.