A 'Precious' Sequel? Wasn't the first project enough?

http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/movie/precious-based-on-the-novel-push-by-sapphire/stills/6

I recently read an article titled, Would a ‘Precious’ sequel be too painful? which suggests that Sapphire, the author of the novel Push and director Lee Daniels could possibly be working on a sequel project, following the success of the film, Precious. Sapphire is working on a sequel novel, “The Kid” due to be released next summer. The project will focus on Precious's son "as he approaches manhood -- alone, brutalized and with the soul of an artist." While giving reference to the idea of a sequel partnership between Daniels and Sapphire,  Rust says the movie Precious was a redemptive piece but I have to disagree. Rust, the writer of this article attests that watching Precious blossom under the guidance of a caring teacher and finding herself through writing, gave viewers hope. Perhaps being born under wretched parents, being over 200 pounds and illiterate, made viewers feel that her fighting spirit came through. However, the pain staking realities of her life didn’t give me any hope. Ms. Rust refers to the novel as “a literary punch in the stomach” and I had to agree that the book although detailed and vivid was very painful. The film itself was depressing and offered a false sense of hope because Precious found literacy and peace and was granted assistance to provide for her children only after learning of her HIV positive status from her mother who was visibly crazy and dying. Such a sequel would be too much although I’m sure someone would find the project to be refreshing because the boy simply survived.

Rust also concludes that before working with Daniels, Sapphire had been approached to bring her tale to the screen, but she repeatedly declined, for fear that her work would be turned into something exploitative. But after several years of persistence, Sapphire gave Daniels the green light on the project, which went on to earn acclaim in the following areas: Lee Daniels's nomination for best director, Geoffrey Fletcher’s win for best screenplay, Gabourey Sidbe’s nomination for best actress, and Mo'Nique's win for best supporting actress.

Rust refers to the movie Precious as being “yet another down-trodden story of blackness.”
However, she later contradicts herself by saying that “If Sapphire has another story to tell, and if it even comes close to work she did in Push, then, I say, bring it. Please.”

This article touched on a few emotions that i felt in the theatre after viewing Precious for the first time. None of those feelings were of hope or of empowerment. Precious was a very strong willed character that we wanted to win. Her desire to overcome was strong and powerful but it seemed as if Daniels crushed her attempts with one saddening event after another. I can’t say that I’m surprised because I saw his earlier movies, Monsters Ball and Shadow Boxer. Both projects included over the top, odd sex scenes that dictated a major theme in both films. Precious had a deeper tone to those scenes but they left me just as uncomfortable and angry.

I was under the impression that the stereotypical exploitation films died in 1970, perhaps I was wrong. Not outright racially motivated with pimps and hoes but its a bit more subtle. how Precious pictures herself to be of a light complexion with blue eyes and says that she wants a "light skinned boyfriend with good hair." How she leaves her body and enters another place with the red carpet and the fancy furs whenever she feels hurt or intimidated. Whereas her dysfunctional home relationship goes a step further and her mother calls her fat, black and stupid wherever the script allows. As if Daniels couldn’t get his point across without making ‘black’ skin seem so demeaning and associated with negativity. Perhaps the self esteem of the Precious character could have been touched up a bit. To have her wearing the most uncomfortable, tight, grungy outfits and speak of her desire to be of a lighter complexion was not enough. We can also associate the movie poster of the young black teenager looking distinctively like the “mammy” character. We don’t need to purchase pancakes to see this character duplicated. Perhaps Precious has made a successful journey into womanhood because she has moved on from the sexual abuse, verbal abuse and illiteracy. However the Precious’ character can also relate into the visual image as a young Mabel character that Tyler Perry plays to be viewed as Madea who he describes as being a mixture of his mother, aunt and other women in his family lineage. I personally feel that enough is enough with the weak, stereotypical, battered, over-sexed and abused characters of black womanhood that Hollywood has the nerve to constantly display. We need accurate images of our culture, not limited, under developed characters that we cannot associate nor relate to. I don’t blame Sapphire for providing us with a glimpse into the life of strong, young woman who went through the storm and dared to survive. The book was exceptionally deep and entertaining. However, the script version is quite different and didn’t convey a proper message. Hollywood should have known better to continue to convey a genre of emotionally battered black women that seems to be displayed in theaters everywhere. To include a sequel of this degree would be adding to the niche of disturbed blackness. With studios filtering what viewers are allowed to see. Its problematic that one can view a teenager living in a half way house with two children and a deadly disease as inspiring. Corruption and weakness have become the categories of  progression in film making to represent the life of African Americans. While exploitation once again has the driver seat towards the future in film making for our culture. The question we need to ask ourselves is not involving a sequel. Rather than when will we progress enough to appreciate films like Rosewood over Boyz in the Hood? When will actors like Denzel get the accolades they deserve for all the well received portrayals that characterized a strong black man prior to his role in Training day where he was corrupt and dangerous? One day we will see the scope of images for what they are and not be so blind as to believe that we are progressing.   

The article can be found at:
Rust, Suzanne. (2010, Nov. 23). Re: Would a precious sequel be too painful. Retrieved on Nov. 24, 2010. From www.thegrio.com. At
http://www.thegrio.com/entertainment/would-a-precious-sequel-be-too-painful.php.

http://gossiponthis.com/2009/10/23/new-movie-precious-featured-on-the-cover-of-the-new-york-times/