The Movie "Precious" and Why I Disagree With Ismael Reed

I recently read an article by author Ismael Reed, where he gave his perspective on the movie "Precious". This film, featuring phenomenal performances by Mo'Nique and newcomer Gabby Sidibe as the title character, has received great critical acclaim. The movie was recently nominated for 6 Academy Awards, saw Mo'Nique win a Golden Globe award and has received numerous other accolades.

This does not matter to Mr. Reed, who hated the film. That is not a problem, as Mr. Reed certainly has a right to his opinion. My issue with Mr. Reed is that he attempts to paint the picture that Black people all across the country are up in arms about the film. He tries to speak for the Black community as a whole, relaying that there is an uprising of Black people labeling the film the worst thing ever filmed. He states in his article:

"Among black men and women, there is widespread revulsion and anger over the Oscar-nominated film about an illiterate, obese black teenager who has two children by her father. The author Jill Nelson wrote: “I don’t eat at the table of self-hatred, inferiority or victimization. I haven’t bought into notions of rampant black pathology or embraced the overwrought, dishonest and black-people-hating pseudo-analysis too often passing as post-racial cold hard truths.” One black radio broadcaster said that he felt under psychological assault for two hours. So did I."

Mr. Reed then goes on to compare the movie to "Birth of a Nation" and allege that the Academy was "racist" for nominating the film (to be fair, another writer named Armond White also espoused this ridiculous comparison).

I love how the opinion of one of his fellow writers and an anonymous radio DJ constitute "widespread revulsion and anger". This widespread revulsion and anger evidently didn't reach the NAACP who gave the film 8 nominations for it's "Image Awards". And this widespread revulsion certainly didn't reach my neck of the woods. I loved the movie, and many of my friends (who just happen to be professional, educated black men and women) did as well. Beyond the film, I heard numerous glowing reviews of the book "Push" by Sapphire (upon which the movie is based). So to Mr. Reed's statement of "widespread revulsion" I kindly say "get the f**k out of here".

It seems to me that Mr. Reed is somewhat detached from reality given his strong opinions of this movie. NO ONE is saying that this movie is a snap shot of black people as a whole, as Mr. Reed and some of his compatriots seem to suggest. That would be ridiculous. But this movie is a realistic picture of what some black children go through each and every day. Having worked close to a decade in juvenile court, I have been privy to some pretty horrid stories and accounts of abuse. These stories are not some Hollywood dramatization. It is very real. There are many disaffected youth out there harboring deep seeded anger and pain because of this very type of abuse. Having a movie like this allows young people in this position, or those who have been in this position to know that they are not alone. They are not invisible. There are others who are out there fighting to cope with the pain just as they are, and that there are people out there who are willing to help them cope with this pain.

Some black folks are obsessed with this notion of “keeping our dirty laundry out of the light”. They would rather these stories never see the light of day because 'they make us look bad". But airing these stories out brings attention to them and can shine a light on these situations and help to make a difference and effectuate change.

But such things do not matter to Mr. Reed evidently. He likely would like every depiction of Black life on screen to look like the Cosby Show. But the Black experience is a diverse one and given that Black people as a race are still struggling to keep up and reach the "American Dream" some of those experiences are dark and desolate. This movie does not try to stamp the entire Black experience, but it does a fantastic job of showcasing a particular slice of life. And it is portrayed in such a way that abused and neglected youth of all races can look to it and see that they are not alone in their struggle.