I just started watching this movie and noticed that there appear to be several cats in the apartment where Precious lives with her mother. I wonder why the cats appear in this movie. I just hope they are well taken care of. They may not live in the best of homes but at least they have shelter and hopefully enough food.
Was anyone else interested in the cats?
I'm not sure that the cats had any significance to the plot per se, but if I remember correctly, during one scene where Mary is yelling a series of orders at Precious, who is on her way out to run errands, she tells her to get cat litter. As I recall it, Mo'Noque throws the line away as if it were an afterthought, which if you are into symbolism at all could be taken to mean that she takes care of the cats in the same way she takes care of her daughter: when she feels like it.
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Yes I remember that scene! If I'm correct, right after she asks for the litter she also calls one her cats (Ethel). At least I think Ethel is one of the cats, since no one else is around. The mother seems to be lazy and apathetic in general so I'm not surprised she didn't seem to care too much about the litter but the fact that she even asked for it tells me that she does care for and loves the cats. I'm SO glad she's not abusive towards them.
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She seemed to be more gentle with the cats and fond of their company.
shareI thought it was to show that Mary did have the ability to care... just not for Precious (anymore) and she (Mary) wasn't just black & white 'evil' per se.
Those old pictures with Mary holding a baby Precious - was that real?
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I thought of the cats too, and the significance of having so many. On the one hand you have an abusive mother who doesn't care at all for her daughter and on the other hand, she has several cats in her apartment. Obviously, the cats are just props, but perhaps they were put in to demonstrate as "no-show" points out that Mary wasn't just black and white: that she was capable of caring for something. Also, it might be to show just how cluttered the apartment was and that it smelled bad. Cats are intensely clean animals, but their waste is very smelly and one can imagine how a cluttered apartment with so many cats might smells. It gives ambiance to the movie.
shareI recently saw this movie for the first time and I had also wondered about the cats who were 'minor players,' but I assumed they were put into the movie for a reason that I didn't get.
I was just so relieved that neither cat was harmed, killed or thrown out of a window...which is the way I thought it might end for them considering how violent Mary was.
I didn't read the book, but I had wondered if the other cat wasn't named 'Lucy', as Mary referred to one as 'Ethel', and she would constantly sit around watching t.v. and a bunch of old movies and shows, so naming her cats Lucy and Ethel would not have been out of the question.
Uhh.... you know this was just a movie, right?
shareIt disturbs me that, in discussion of a film in which a teenager is explicitly shown to be abused sexually, physically and mentally, not one but SEVERAL people feel deepest concern for the cats.
I think society's personification of domestic animals has gone too far. It disgusts me when I see people saying things like "I get more upset by an animals death in movies than when humans die LOL" and expect it to be interpreted as a cute little aside about how much they love animals. No, you're just a sociopath.
I'd say it more or less depends on the potential human victim. For example, I think my cats life is of higher value than that of any rapist, murderer, or paedophile.
Of course, that could just be the sociopath in me talking.
Chill Skylight, people worry because small animals are more susceptible to abuse AND we all know that Precious survived, but the cats were still in question. It's silly, though, to say Precious's mom was not just black and white. You MIGHT be able to say that if ignoring the indication (or the ridiculously repulsive in-your-face statement in the book) that Precious's mom abused her the same way the dad did, but if not, you can conclude NOTHING but that she was a monster.
shareAnd what makes you better than cats? You actually come off as a complete tool and a sociopath so i would much rather save cat's life than yours, if came down to it.
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Lee Daniels talks about the cats on the DVD commentary. They weren't part of the book, but he put a number of cats around the apartment because he's "violently allergic" and cats "disturb" him. Possibly because they're mercurial, like Mary, and can be dangerous when their moods change.
And cats are good pets for people who are lazy caretakers. You change the litter once or twice a week and give them food and water once a day and otherwise you ignore them. They'll come to you if they want anything.
Difference is I hate many people because they do awful things- I love cats though. I was glad to see the cat escape at the same time Precious did.
shareThat's another good point, cats are a perfect pet for people in that situation, but the mercurial description was cool too. Considering Lee Daniel's words, it's clear they held a symbolism for him that the apartment was a place to avoid.
shareMary certainly seemed to have more love for the cats than she did for her own daughter and grandchildren. Always funny that, how some really angry people have the ability to control their temper around animals but not around humans!
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I love cats. Anyways did anyone notice in one if hef fantadies Precious fictitious boyfriend was holding a dog? It tells you how much she despises those cats. Her mother most likely shows them live abd tenderness while she bestows nothing but contempt for her.
shareShe never indicated she despised them, they could have been a comfort to her too at times, something to show love and affection, but the dog likely did show a contrast she wanted.
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