Precious… Really?

Is Precious, precious? Now that the movie reviews have been written, the buttered popcorn eaten, the diet cola guzzled, the debates concerning its merit defended and scorned; how are you feeling about it? What did you witness? Got butterflies?

It’s been said that the African American experience is one long ancestral journey. We all get our turn. It’s a journey filled with complexity, pain and richness that’s not for the weak or fainthearted. It’s the journey of our lifetime, and beyond. Naturally, there will be good and bad along the way; imagine the length of the timeline. With so many stories to tell, so many slices of life to portray, what was selected for a film with a run time of only 1 hour and 49 minutes?  Distortions of abuse, illiteracy, incest, teen pregnancy, poverty and AIDS.

Let me say, the acting in Precious was superb. The cast, which includes Gabourey Sidibe, Mo’Nique, Paula Patton, Mariah Carey and Lenny Kravitz, was outstanding. But it’s not about the actors. It’s about the IMAGES. It’s about the CONTENT. It’s about the hopelessness; it’s about the pathology that is all too often associated with characterizations of African Americans. Images influence the perceptions of others. More importantly, they influence one’s own self-image and self-perception. Is this the way we roll?

In the light of history, what will be said of this film? Will scenes from the movie become precious iconic images; an artifact that we’ll cherish and share with others?  Will we use the film’s content as a precious historical marker to commemorate a specific time in the African American journey?

Again, is Precious, precious? I know my answer. What’s yours?