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A Precious Film

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Hotu Matua

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Last night I went with my family to the movies and saw "Precious".

I consider it a very good movie and I would like to know your impressions.

To me, this is the kind of film that our society needs.

It talks about the fact that man can determine himself and not be only subject to his environment and circumsntances. This is a very non-deterministic film.

It stresses pride as emerging not from love from others as much as from the acknowledgement of your own nature as rational being owning your life.

It stresses heroism.

The film makes also a strong case against welfare states and collectivism.

Have you seen it?

How did you like it?

Edited by Hotu Matua
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Last night I went with my family to the movies and saw "Precious".

I consider it a very good movie and I would like to know your impressions.

To me, this is the kind of film that our society needs.

It talks about the fact that man can determine himself and not be only subject to his environment and circumsntances. This is a very non-deterministic film.

It stresses pride as emerging not from love from others as much as from the acknowledgement of your own nature as rational being owning your life.

It stresses heroism.

The film makes also a strong case against welfare states and collectivism.

Have you seen it?

How did you like it?

I'm actually really surprised, from the commercials I have seen I would have thought it was the complete opposite. I guess I will have to go see it, thanks for the info.

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Eh, I read the plot synopsis on Wikipedia, and it sounds more like a "have faith" movie than an "act rationally!" one. I won't give spoilers (go read the synopsis yourself if you want them), but I find art with this doomed hero esthetic to be depressing, not inspiring. Mindlessly carrying out the motions of a quest that leads nowhere is not heroism, it's fanaticism.

If the ending were different I might consider it, despite the rancid subject matter, but treating education like some sort of holy grail or magic talisman is not a message I really want to subscribe to.

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Eh, I read the plot synopsis on Wikipedia, and it sounds more like a "have faith" movie than an "act rationally!" one. I won't give spoilers (go read the synopsis yourself if you want them), but I find art with this doomed hero esthetic to be depressing, not inspiring. Mindlessly carrying out the motions of a quest that leads nowhere is not heroism, it's fanaticism.

If the ending were different I might consider it, despite the rancid subject matter, but treating education like some sort of holy grail or magic talisman is not a message I really want to subscribe to.

"Give me a child for the first seven years, says a famous maxim atributed to the Jesuits and "you may do what you want with him afterwards". This is true of most children with rare, heroically independent exceptions. ( Ayn Rand in "The Comprachicos", Return of the Primitive", page.54)

The film is not about a doomed hero, but about the rare, heroically independent exceptions Rand is talking about. That's why I am recommending this film.

It is the story of a teenager who decides not to coonsider herlsef doomed, despite all circumstances that others would take as an excuse for failure.

It is the story of a teenager who does not settle with self-pity, considers herself "too good for welfare" and clings to a vision of herself succeeding, against all odds.

The aftertaste is really positive.

The film is anti-welfare, anti-self pity, anti-deterministic.

And it is about acting rationally! The teenager takes every necessary step to succeed, from attending a special school to shaking off the influence of her mother. She doesn't sit down in hope of a less gloomy future, but acts throughout the film according to a vision of herself as a person of dignity.

Probably those summaries in Wikipedia appeal to a sentimentalist broad audience or are written by sentimentalist, altruist people.

I wouldn't pay too much attention to it. Megan.

Please go and see the film for yourself.

Edited by Hotu Matua
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  • 1 year later...

I watched it a long time ago, but I can recall it as an over manipulative film, and as far as I remember I wanted to punch most of the characters face.

but, in order to really criticize it I need to watch it again.

Watch "brothers" the Danish version, not the American.

This is a movie that will flip your guts

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Last night I went with my family to the movies and saw "Precious".

I consider it a very good movie and I would like to know your impressions.

To me, this is the kind of film that our society needs.

It talks about the fact that man can determine himself and not be only subject to his environment and circumsntances. This is a very non-deterministic film.

It stresses pride as emerging not from love from others as much as from the acknowledgement of your own nature as rational being owning your life.

It stresses heroism.

The film makes also a strong case against welfare states and collectivism.

Have you seen it?

How did you like it?

If you can get a copy of the 1977 Dutch film 'Soldier of Orange" you will be impressed by the heroic resistance fighters in Holland during the Second World War. The writer lived the story. One can truly appreciate freedom after seeing that film.

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