Last night the AFI hosted a star studded, red carpet affair introducing the world to Clarice "PRECIOUS" Jones, directed by Lee Daniels. A film that will "split you open," is due to open later this week.

Audience members, the likes of which made me feel like I was crashing a private party for all the cool kids, included Olivia Wilde, Lisa Edelstein, Mary J. Blige, Nick Cannon, Sidney Hicks, Gayle King, Paula Abdul, Jamie Foxx, Eva Longoria Parker, Will Smith, Forest & Keisha Whitaker, Tyler Perry and the elegant Sidney Poitier, but I don't mean to drop names ... Oprah! Daniels added to the list with the introduction of cast members Sherri Sheperd, Mo'Nique, Mariah Carey, Paula Patton and of course, the lead actress Gabourey Sidibe, just to name a few. Sapphire, whose book PUSH moved Daniels to do the film, was also on hand.
After star gawking and intros, the audience was swept you away into the land of Precious Jones. It was a sensory experience that takes your breath away with powerful cinematography, dialogue and flawless acting. This wasn't a movie, this was someone's experience and now it was yours.
While Precious struggled with the unrelenting weight of her life, symbolic in her body, we, the audience struggled the frustrations of not being able to save this kid and being ashamed for not even trying. Precious isn't the first of her kind, she's certainly not the last and we were reminded of all the kids that have fallen through the cracks with nary a thought or regret. Precious represents us all on some level, but more importantly, she represents an immeasurable amount kids that both time and people have forgotten.

by Kimberly Deisler