Will Precious be this year's Slumdog Millionaire and sweep theAcademy Awards? It's a daunting challenge indeed. However, both films came outof nowhere and were greeted with an enthusiastic response on the festivalcircuit. Precious won the Audienceand Grand Jury Awards at the Sundance Film Festival as well as People's ChoiceAward at the Toronto Film Festival. It evoked a 20-minute standing ovation atthe prestigious Cannes Film Festival.
Precious is adapted from the novel, Push by the author Sapphire. Set in a New York City ghetto, itsprotagonist is a morbidly obese, functionally illiterate African-Americanadolescent. She has been the victim of chronic sexual abuse by both of her parents.These incestuous unions have produced two children, including one who isafflicted with Down syndrome.
The film'sdirector, Lee Daniels had read the book years ago, before producing the AcademyAward-winning Monster's Ball. It madea profound impression, “The book stuck to me like hot grits. It was one ofreally one of those things that left me gasping. I wanted to see it on thescreen. I knew that it would translate well to screen.”
Precious stars newcomer, Gabourey Sidibe, in the lead.Daniels, who previously worked as a casting agent, recounted, “We werediligently searching. I interviewed 400 girls for the role. I was goingto McDonald's, to Rite-Aid, to movie theaters looking for a girl to portrayPrecious. Gabby came in and just did this gut-wrenching, breathtakingaudition.” Daniels had an epiphany, “With Gabby, the character wasn't her. Shewas acting. Gabby isn't Precious If I had used one of the girls who was reallyPrecious, then I would have been exploiting that girl and that's not somethingthat I wanted to do.”
Daniels spokeof growing up on the mean streets of inner city West Philadelphia, “There weremany colorful people in my life. Over the years, I have put them on the screen.“He acknowledged, “I didn't have a rosy childhood. Some not so nice thingshappened. But I think that it made me a better man and a better person and abetter human being.”
Toescape his bleak circumstances, Daniels often engaged in fantasies, “If I hadstayed in my world and I didn't escape, I don't know how I would have endedup.”
Daniels drawsunexpectedly strong performances from his cast. In addition to first-timer,Sidibe in the lead, the film also features comic actress, Mo' Nique, in anatypical role as well as Lenny Kravitz, and Mariah Carey, both of whom are bestknown as singers. Daniels has an unconventional directorial technique, “Myapproach is a very unique one. I don't have a rehearsal period. My rehearsalperiod really is a therapy session. It's me. It's my vision. Shut up and listento me. This is my story. This is my pain. This is my drug history. This is mysex. This is what literature I like. These are my political beliefs. This isthe religion I'm into, my spiritual life. This is what I like artistically.It's really all about me.”
Howdoes this enhance the acting? According to Daniels, “What happens is that itsubliminally puts them in a place of talking all about them. We are one. Webecome best friends. I can't work with an actor unless I am on the same notpage, not sentence, but same syllable. “ He insisted, “The actors know what Iwant.”
Asked about theOscar prospects for Precious, Danielsplayfully stuck his fingers in his ears and disclaimed, “La-la-la.” He turnedserious and explained, “I can't worry about what other people think I did. If Idid, then I'd be in Hollywood. I have to think about what I want to see.It's not often what America wants to see. It's not often politically correct.It's not that I don't care about the audience. I do care about the audience.But I have to tell what's in my soul-the truth that I know it to be.”
