Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire

Right now you can watch Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire in Australia on Stan, and in the US on YouTube TV and MovieSphere+ Amazon Channel — and it holds up to as much attention as you give it. The runtime earns every minute, with nothing here that feels like padding. With 1,788 viewer ratings on TMDB, this is not a title flying under the radar. Gabourey Sidibe leads a cast that never overplays its hand. Put it on tonight on Stan and see for yourself.

There is a reason Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire keeps coming up in conversation. Character-driven storytelling at its most effective — Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire earns every emotional beat it goes for. In Harlem in 1987, Claireece "Precious" Jones is a 16-year-old African American girl born into a life no one would want. She's pregnant for the second time by her absent father, and at home she must wait hand and foot on her mother, an angry woman who abuses her emotionally and physically. School is chaotic and Precious has reached the ninth grade with good marks and a secret – she can't read. Gabourey Sidibe and Mo'Nique lead a cast doing genuinely serious work here. It hit screens in 2009. Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire resists tidy resolutions in a way that respects how messy real consequences actually are. There is real craft here, even in the moments that do not fully land.

For anyone looking for storytelling that takes its characters seriously, Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire delivers. It rewards viewers regardless of what else is in their watch history. Best experienced as a single, sustained watch from start to finish. Gabourey Sidibe is the centre of it, and it is one of their strongest performances on record. The patience it asks of you early on is paid back with interest.