Blu-ray of the Day: Precious

Cast: Gabourey Sidibe, Mo’Nique, Paula Patton, Mariah Carey.
Director: Lee Daniels.
Screenplay: Geoffrey Fletcher.
Score: Mario Grigorov.
Cinematography: Andrew Dunn.

This is an extraordinarily thought-provoking, heart-breaking account of an obese, abused, illiterate teenager’s bid to triumph over tragedy and prejudice. Precious is incredibly bleak and oppressive, and although it occasionally flirts with sentimentality, remains true to the grim predicament of its protagonist. The performances are wondrous, particularly those of newcomer Gabourey Sidibe as the under-siege, inner-city youth, and Mo’Nique as her monstrous mother who’s not without her own humanity, albeit horrifically flawed. But what stands out most is the calibre of the writing and directing, and these are done justice on the comprehensive extras that background how the novel that inspired Precious and the movie came to be. Director Lee Daniels, who hitherto was best known for producing Monster’s Ball and The Woodsman, contributes a commentary.

Movie: 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀
Image: 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀
Extras: 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀

Gabourey Sidibe as Claireece 'Precious' Jones and Mo'Nique as Mary