the sunlight of spirit

Some folks has a lot of things around them that shines for other peoples. I think that maybe some of them was in tunnels. And in that tunnel, the only light they had, was inside of them. And then long after they escape that tunnel, they sitll be shining for everybody else..... Clarice Precious Jones

i'm sure that almost everything to be said about "precious" has already been written or verbalized. i won't try to reinvent the wheel here. but i will say that i have been altered by this film and am completely graced by it as well. i really haven't been listening or reading reviews, more because of available time than anything else, so i wasn't sure what to expect. i had seen the trailers and knew that it would have something to say to me.

and it did speak to me. i could relate to several aspects of the film. growing up an effeminate boy may be very similar to growing up overweight. no doubt there is a constant stream of verbal insults and internal judgements that accompanied precious wherever she went. growing up in what was a single parent household (most of the time) with that single parent being broken and unhappy also rang some bells. when they were weaving in scenes of precious' fantasy life when her real life was bringing pressure, i could understand easily why she "went there" and found it validating.

i think, though, that i most loved when she starts in an alternative school and meets some friends who are struggling with their lives just like her. they don't like each other right away because none of them really like themselves very much, but as is demonstrated to them by their teacher, if they open their hearts a little, they will see a struggle very much like their own. this is an intuitive part of the human psyche, and they take to it like a duck to water. innocent joy and age appropriate laughter visit these teenage girls' lives for perhaps the first time in their lives.

the performances are tender... especially monique. i can't remember feeling so vexed by a performance. i didn't see "acting"  at all here. i'm sure it was there, but i didn't see it. i was watching  a woman who had been bound so tight with fear, pain, and rage that she had forgotten she even had a heart. i can relate to that perspective from a few vantage points. this film gets a very high rating- but with a caution. most likely it will tear at you, especially if you are in recovery from something. the themes of this film are completely related to many of the reasons people embrace addiction. but as it pierces your guard, it will probably let a little sunlight of spirit in, too. a huge bonus in my eyes.

here's to a heart that is drinking in the sunlight of spirit. and here's to the precious star that reflects that light.

today's sound choice is from the film's soundtrack. i had almost forgotten about this one, but it didn't take long for it to come back. it's mfsb(i believe that mother, father, sister, brother) featuring the three degrees with "love is the message". man, do i love vintage disco sometimes..





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