Precious

The movie “Precious,” released in theaters in late 2009 and based on the novel “Push” by Sapphire, is not only a captivating story, but is a commentary on childhood trauma, its long term effects, and the power of resilience.  Claireece Precious Jones (played by Gabourey Sidibe) is a 16 year-old illiterate African American teen who lives in Harlem with her dysfunctional mother Mary (played by Mo'Nique).  The family is on welfare, and lives in a drug-infested neighborhood.  Precious is subjected to verbal and physical abuse by her mother, and sexual abuse by both parents.  She has two children that are the result of incest by her father.

Precious' daily interactions with her mother are difficult to watch, but not unlike those we hear about from clients with PTSD and dissociative disorders.  Precious' mother hurls continuous insults at her (“stupid,” “fat ass,” “lying whore,” “you can't learn shit” “don't noone want you,” “I should have aborted your ass”), blames her for her father's abuse of her (“you fuck my man”), and even calls her an “uppity bitch,” because she is going to school and learning.  Physical abuse is daily, as Precious' mother chases her and throws things at her that could easily cause concussion or death. When Precious needs some money for food, she is called upstairs to “take care of her mother,” who we know from the previous scene is masturbating in bed.  In one of the most intense scenes in the movie, we see Precious' father having sex with her (telling her she's even better in bed than her mother) while her mother stands in the doorway doing nothing to intervene. Reports of events like these are all too familiar to therapists who treat DID and other trauma related disorders.  

Another prominent theme we see in the movie Precious is the theme of dual messages from perpetrators.  Precious often has to go for days without eating, even though she is cooking for her mother; other times, she is forced to eat large amounts of food because her mother is not satisfied with what Precious has cooked for her. All the while Precious' mother is calling her a “fat ass.”  When a social worker comes to visit the home of Mary and Precious Jones, Mary pretends that Precious' daughter Mongo (short for Mongoloid, because Precious' daughter has Down's syndrome) lives there so she can get more welfare money, when in fact Mongo lives ...