The first time I picked up Sapphire’s Push, I had to abandon it. The book is raw and I was too shaken to stay with the story of an overweight, abused, African American teenager with the painfully ironic name Claireece Precious Jones.
Many years later, I found myself seeking the story again, this time in Lee Daniel’s powerful film which screened Friday night at the Austin Film Festival.
The story remains the same, and still, there is something beautiful about this film that defies the very painful circumstances of the story. First, it’s phenomenal to see real women of color on the big screen—instead of, say, Halle Berry scuffed up. Yes, the story of a girl abused beyond comprehension is difficult to watch and the performances are up to the challenge. But ultimately, it’s not the pain that brings you to tears. It’s the perseverance of the human spirit. I was thinking of this when Precious (played with heartbreaking honesty by newcomer Gabourey “Gabby” Sidibe) is painstakingly learning how to read, one word, one letter at a time, while the voices in her head are telling her how stupid and useless she is. It also reminded me of how one person can make a big difference in your life—that one person who appears at just the right moment, the moment when all seems lost or beyond repair.
In other hands, the end of the film may have seemed preposterous. The circumstances, the world, are stacked against Precious Jones, but still, there is something in this film that shoots through like a slip of grass though concrete—tender and vulnerable, it’s also resolute in its determination. Amazing. I still carry the experience of the film with me. From the sound of weeping I heard in the theater, I think others did too.
This article appears in October 23 • 2009.