Precious

Alright, this is a movie about an utterly fat young girl. Don't tell me that it wasn't what you thought if you happened to watch its trailer.

That's what I basically thought before getting into the dark projection room.

But Precious, a 16 years old overweight girl, is not only that. She lives in a very poor area of NYC, and she's expelled from school. She can barely read, and she's pregnant with her second child; why would she let herself into such a scheme? Because this girl was daily raped by her father, and beaten by her own mother, jealous of the "relationship" between her husband and her daughter.

But when her son is born, Precious decides that she had had enough of this life as a victim. She decides to follow some courses in order to be able to apply for a job and to offer a better life to her two children.

Unfortunately, she has to fight old demons - including her mother, but she is helped by social workers (Mariah Carey in a supporting role), a nurse (Lenny Kravitz!) and a teacher who all believe a better life is possible for the young woman.

Another woman's fight, very moving, revolting in many parts but really well told.

Desert Flower

At first when I saw its trailer, I thought that movie would be either too sopay or just unbearable to watch because of its subjects; Waris Dirie is one of the most famous supermodel of the 80's era. But no, it's not a movie about fashion. Desert flower is based on Dirie's novel about excision, a mutilation that no less than 6000 girls endure every single day in the world.

When Waris was 13, she fled her nomadic family in order to avoid a wedding with a much older man. Once in Mogadicio, she is sent by some relatives to London, to work as a cleaning lady at the Somalian's embassy. She lost her job once the civil war calls back to the country all the ambassadors. Working in a local McD. (no, i won't give any names) she's spotted by one of the most famous fashion photographer who suggests her to pose for him.

That transforms her life, but not as much as the day she was "circumcised". Years later, as she's worldwide famous, she decides to speak about it in an interview and for the first time, the UN becomes aware of one of the most tragical tradition that is still perpetrated.

Despite the subject, the movie tells the story of a woman's fight, and even though the subject is tragic, the way of telling this modern -and much less fairy - Cinderella's tale is not sad, but accurate.

I would lie if i didnt say I skipped the two minutes or so when she describes the excision in itself, but this movie is in every way a good way to know more about how the issue became known worldwide, and through whom.