- Director: Lee Daniels
- Year: 2009
Overview
Claireece "Precious" Jones is an illiterate, pregnant teenager living in Harlem with her abusive mother, Mary. Precious has been failed by the school system and her family, leaving her with few options. She is sent to an alternative school, where a teacher named Ms. Rain helps her learn to read and write. Precious begins to gain independence and self-worth, even as she discovers she is HIV-positive and must raise her children alone.
Takeaways
Precious is stuck in a painful cycle of abuse at home and neglect from the institutions that are supposed to protect her. The regular public school system and social services just pass her along without offering real help. It isn't until she joins Ms. Rain's alternative class that she finally gets the attention she needs, using reading and writing to discover her own voice. Writing down her thoughts helps her process the trauma and realize she deserves a better life. Leaving her abusive mother's house is incredibly hard, but it shows that escaping a bad situation takes a mix of personal strength and finding people who actually care about you.