The comments on the review about how “REAL people are illiterate victims of sexual abuse” reveal a lot more about what goes on behind the scenes in America than the movie does. Leave the issue of physical attractiveness out of it and just ponder that angle. That multiple people believe this is one of the most interesting things to come out of this movie.
Yeah, I have trouble believing anything endorsed by Tyler Perry and written by someone who insists on being called “Sapphire” is going to be transcendent art, but I guess I’ll have to see the movie to know for sure.
Well, I did start this thread, which died an ignominious death. I saw the film about a week ago, and while it does pile it on very thick, the movie is not about a black girl in the ghetto. It’s about the ability to survive an abusive environment by walking out on it. Precious (the person) doesn’t succeed in the Hollywood notion of the word. She succeeds by asserting some limited amount of independence into her miserable life. It’s an honest effort to address aggression towards women and domestic abuse in general. Stereotypes aside, the film features some powerful performances.
Leaving interpretive space for the reader/audience to operate within isn’t really a postmodern idea. The familiar admonition to writers to “show don’t tell” is an example of this principle in action. Stories are often more interesting and moving when the author/director doesn’t beat the audience over the head with the moral or message, but rather creates the space to allow them to connect the dots and arrive at the desired destination on their own.
