For all intents and purposes the story of Clarice “Precious” Jones as told in the film Precious should be the most agonizing, depressing, and unpleasant two hours you could spend in a movie theater. Here is the story of an impoverished African-American girl who is severely overweight, has an abusive mother, is pregnant for the second time from being raped by her father, and is HIV positive. This is clearly not a piece of fun, escapist cinema and yet it manages to avoid becoming an example of torturous, tear jerking. Even when things are at their worst, there is always a glimmer of hope for Precious to survive her situation and find a happy existence. And for that reason alone, Precious: Based on the Novel “Push” By Sapphire is one of the most enjoyable film experiences I’ve had all year.

Set in Queens, New York in 1987, Precious (I refuse to type the ridiculous subtitle more than once) throws us into the painfully real story of a girl who has been handed the worst that life can dish out. Her mother, Mary (Mo’Nique) is depicted very early on, and rightly so, as a flat out villain in the worst way possible. She spends her day in front of the TV hurling insults and barking orders at her daughter rather than finding a job and providing for her small family. At the news of her second pregnancy, Precious is sent to an alternative school where the world’s sweetest teacher (Paula Patton) takes her under her wing and slowly but surely shows Precious that there can very well be some light in her world despite her mother’s cruel words.

At times it can seem hard to believe that any one person’s life could be so traumatic and horrible, but under the direction of Lee Daniels, the film retains a strong grip on reality and is grounded even more by a series of powerhouse performances that have Oscar written all over them.

First of all, enough cannot be said about Gabourey Sidibe as Precious. Had she not been standing next to well-known faces like Mo’Nique and Mariah Carey, you could have convinced me that this was a documentary and that Precious was a real person simply caught on film. Sidibe doesn’t have a single moment that feels forced or unrealistic. Through her, this character is a real person and her face shows so much pain, confusion, and determination in every scene that I am completely in awe of her and what she did here. I can’t quite say that Gabourey Sidibe is about to become a star because it’s quite possible that no other role will fit her so well, but it really doesn’t matter. This is the kind of performance that sticks with people forever and as long as we remember movies, we will remember the name Gabourey Sidibe even if we never see her on screen again. She is just that good.

Equal praise should be given to both Mo’Nique and Patton for their respective roles as both the devil and angel in Precious’ life. Both have scenes towards the end of the movie that are so raw and powerful that I dare even the toughest viewer not to be moved. Mo’Nique, especially, seems poised to walk away with numerous Best Supporting Actress statues this awards season and it couldn’t be more deserved.

Precious even highlights a few bigger names in small roles that defy expectations. Both Lenny Kravitz and Sherri Shepherd shine in nearly unrecognizable roles but it is Mariah Carey who wows even more in her role as a social worker out to help Precious find solid ground. I admit that I long ago wrote Carey off as a talentless hack with no business in show business but she is stripped bare in this performance and we get to see raw emotion come flowing out and it works. Kudos to Director Lee Daniels for finding this performance in her. He is clearly an actor’s director.

This film is quite simply a remarkable achievement that will move you and start discussions that can last for weeks after you leave the theater. Clarice Precious Jones may not be a real person but her story is real and happening on the streets of our world every day. It might be cheesy to suggest that just one person can make a difference to a person like Precious, but I believe it’s true and even if only one person takes that message to heart from this film then it has done it’s job well. What more could you honestly ask for?

Grade: A