Push: Based on the Novel by Sapphire

In Push: Based on the Novel by Sapphire, Claireece Precious Jones endures unimaginable hardships in her young life. Abused by her mother, raped by her father, she grows up poor, angry, illiterate, fat, unloved and generally unnoticed. So what better way to learn about her than through her own, halting dialect. Instead of being swallowed by depression, Claireece tries to break from the chains of ignorance by digging deep into her own resources. Push has won both the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award in the U.S. Dramatic Competition at 2009 Sundance Film Festival.

Precious, in addition to her physical problems, lacks even basic self-esteem, and Push is largely about her journey toward normalcy. Things will never be super-awesome for her; the point is that she can learn to cope with life and find a semblance of happiness and self-respect. That feeling of hopefulness, not the awfulness that precedes it, is what you'll take with you when the film is over.

The film has a stellar cast with Monique, Mariah Carey, Paula Patton, Lenny Kravitz, and Gabourey Sidibe as Claireece Precious Jones. Here is a clip from the Sundance Film Festival.