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Precious Movie Analysis

Decent Essays

In the film Precious discuses a lot of maltreatment and physical abuse. This movie is by far one of the worse because it deals with mistreatment and negative talk on an innocent teenager who wants to be all that she can be, but she is insulted and told differently. There is a lot of drugs being used in the home and just plain out disrespect. Claireece “Precious” Jones who is 16 years old grew up in Harlem during the late 1980s. All of the poor and dirty crime that happens, none of which affects Precious as much as the constant mistreatment she receives at the hands of her brutally vile mother Mary. Precious is treated as a slave, fixing food, washing dishes, and tending to her wretched master as the worthless woman smokes, collects …show more content…

Physical sensations, including sexual feelings and hunger, become severely disrupted. Precious mother, who did not protect her from her father's abuse, perpetuated the abuse in many ways. One way is through food. Feeding her when she doesn't want to eat. Making her gain weight more so. Mary has a controlling act and she is very abusive. She admits, ashamed, at various points, that she overeats. She is painfully aware of her problematic eating. In this film, Precious struggles with her self-esteem. It is in part due to her mother's constant steam of violent and demeaning put downs. Her weight does not help. Being overweight leaves her vulnerable to taunts by classmates, boys on the street, and her mother. For years, Precious told no one of the incest. Unfortunately, it is common for both sexual abuse and eating disorders to be kept a secret. Those who are abused learn to keep quiet, often out of sheer survival. There is a poignant moment when Precios reveals that she has never spoken in class before. I remember when the teacher asked how it felt to speak up. She stated, “I feel here.” Being present is the polar opposite of her silence and her dissociative, inner fantasy world. As she heals, she begins to have a voice and no longer keeps the abuse a secret. Her need to slip into an alternative world fades and her weight becomes less central to her life. Her self-esteem instead hinges on her

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