Life is hard.
Life is painful.
Life is short.
Life is precious.

I have been waiting pretty much all my life for a movie to come out like this. I have watched the trailer at least 3 to 4 times now because I simply can not get enough. I am elated to see  a film coming out that deals with so many powerful issues. Here is a brief synopsis of the film from the Official Website: 

"Based on the Book Push by Sapphire, [this film is] ....Set in Harlem in 1987, it is the story of Claireece "Precious" Jones (Gabourey Sidlibe), a sixteen-year-old African-American born into a life no one would want. She's pregnat for teh second time by her absent father; at home, she must wait hand and foot on her mother (Mo'Nique), a poisonously angry woman who abuses her both emotionally and physically. School is a place of chaos and Preicous has reached the ninth grade with good marks and an awful secret: she can neither read nor write.

Precious may sometimes be down, but she is never out. Beneath her impassive expression is a watchful, curious young woman with an ichoate but unshakable sense that other possiblities exist for her. Threatened with expulson, Precious is offered the chance to transfer to an alternative school, Each One/Teach One. Precious doesn't know the meaning of "alternative", but her instincts tell her that this is the chance she has been waiting for. In the literacy workshop taught by thte patient yet firm Ms. Rain (Paula Patton), precious begins a journey that will lead her from darkness, pain and powerlessness to light, love and self-determination." 

Precious, the title character, is a young woman that has been dealt a very difficult card in life. She lives in a world where her size and body are not accepted. In addition, she struggles with a disability at school and then goes home to face poverty and abuse. Although some of us have faced a few of the struggles that Precious must tackle in these films it is rare that someone goes through all of them at once. Life is certainly hard for Precious but it seems from the trailer that the filmmakers did not  want to stop at merely describing her horribly disadvantaged situation.

This is a film about resilience.

I can not wait to see how Precious is able to escape from her current life and moves on to a better one. It definitely seems like it will be a challenge but I want to be there as she experiences that challenge. This film resonates with me because I too have struggled and overcome some of the same issues. Also, as a young black woman I find it rare that films like this come along that seem to tackle "hard" issues like urban poverty, inter-familial violence, incest and problems in school.

I am excited about these aspects of this movie because I hope that it can open up the eyes of many in America who are blind to urban poverty, today's racism, child abuse and the problems of inner-city schools. For many people out there the only exposure they get to urban poverty is the BET/MTV pop version of "ghettos" where money, gangs, drugs and misogyny are exploited, glamourized and packed for consumption. However this is quite far from reality. The facts speak for themselves, for example, in 2003 the US Census reported that 8.2% of European Americans live in poverty compared to 24.4% of African-Americans. ABC News also ran a report that the disparity in education outcomes at the higher education, secondary education and primary education may be narrowing in some areas but is actually getting worse in others. Unfortunately, those who believed that the US would transform into a post-racial society on January 20, 2009 were very mistaken, there is still alot of work to be done in terms of addressing inequality in America.

My only fear however is that those same people who may get their first exposure from this film, may also be quick to generalize what they see in the film to all black girls, families, neighborhoods and culture. Another fear I have is that people will personally disconnect from this film because they can not "identify" with the feminist, disability rights and human rights issues that arise therein. These problems are not simply "other people's problems" but are real problems that can affect anyone. You do not have to be black or be a woman to be a victim of bias, objectification or isolation.  Anyone can face difficulties in life and we all do-- this movie is about the strength of the human spirit and how we can form supportive communities to lift ourselves and each other up from bad situations.

I hope that people can realize that although we may not all go through these exact problems, that does not mean that they should be any less real to us. Nor does it mean we should look down on or patronize those who are affected. Wanting to help or spread awareness of problems is great but stereotypes, objectification and forced alienation are very limiting and counterproductive.  Black people, women and people with impairments do not need pity nor do they need paternalism. Everybody deserves respect and dignity. Everyone also deserves a level playing feild from which acess to safety, health and education that does not have to be divided according to ability, socioeconomic or racial lines.