Film:
Precious, 2009
Starring Gabourey Sidibe, Mo’Nique, Paula Patton, and Mariah Carey.
Synopsis (from Netflix):
Viciously abused by her mother (a riveting, Oscar-winning Mo’Nique) and pregnant by her father, Harlem teen Precious Jones (Oscar nominee Gabourey Sidibe) has an unexpected chance at a different life when she enrolls in an alternative school. Teacher Blu Rain (Paula Patton) encourages her, but Precious must battle unimaginable barriers everywhere in her life.
My Thoughts:
First I would like to apologize for not writing sooner. I had watched this film the first weekend in April and had meant to write a post for you all then. I committed a blogger faux pas.
As for the film, this is one time I am glad it is not a true story as I would not wish anyone the amount of suffering Precious Jones had. I just adore the message though, that through love and education she was able to see value in her life and work to overcome her obstacles, as insurmountable as they may seem.
Regard man as a mine rich in gems of inestimable value. Education can, alone, cause it to reveal its treasures, and enable mankind to benefit therefrom. – Bahá’u’lláh
Her teachers, both at her first school and at the new alternative school, saw something precious within Ms. Jones. They could see that what appeared to be ugly rocks were actually uncut, unpolished gems and they worked hard with Precious to polish them until she was able to read and able to break free from her abusive home environment.
This is something we can all learn from. We all have gems in the mine of ourselves, as does every other human being even illiterate pregnant teenagers. The issue is that these gems have not been cut and polished yet so to the untrained eye they can seem like worthless rocks. Blu Rain could see the end in the beginning, she could see those gems, and worked hard with Precious so that she could see them too and would want to polish them through perseverance. We all have talents but sometimes we can’t see them. A great teacher can, and can get you to see them too, and more importantly infect you with the enthusiasm to want to work to cultivate them.
Your thoughts?
What gems have you seen hidden in others? What have you helped others achieve? What have you achieved through someone’s encouragement?
Moving Pictures 