Precious

I just watched Precious and just had to write about it.  

Precious, directed by openly gay director Lee Daniels and based on the novel Push by Sapphire, is the story of a 16 year old girl from Harlem whose life was one impossible hurdle after another.  Impregnated by her father for the second time, she is kicked out of school and made to attend an alternative school.  It is here that she meets lesbian teacher Blu Rain and a bunch of girls who are similarly working towards their GED.

The film was utterly relentless, one scene pushing the envelope of the next and you begin to wonder if there's any light at the end of the tunnel.  Without spoiling it for anyone, there is, but its not tied up with a nice little bow, its real and even as the film ends, you're left wondering how things are going to turn out.

Its been a long time since I've been so moved by a film and mind you the last show I caught was The Blind Side.  Watching it made me so uncomfortable in my skin that I found myself having to look away so many times.  But if there's one thing I took away from the film was the power of women supporting other women and all that we can accomplish if we just support each other.