Precious (Gabourey Sidibe, Mariah Carey) (DVD)

Set in Harlem in 1987, Claireece "Precious" Jones is a sixteen-year-old African-American girl born into a life no one would want. She's pregnant for the second time by her absent father; at home, she must wait hand and foot on her mother, a poisonously angry woman who abuses her emotionally and physically. School is a place of chaos, and Precious has reached the ninth grade with good marks and an awful secret: she can neither read nor write. Precious may sometimes be down, but she is never out. Beneath her impassive expression is a watchful, curious young woman with an unshakeable sense that other possibilities exist for her. Threatened with expulsion, Precious is offered the chance to transfer to an alternative school, Each One/Teach One. Precious doesn't know the meaning of "alternative," but her instincts tell her this is the chance she has been waiting for. So begins a journey that will lead her from darkness, pain and powerlessness to light, love and self-determination.

Having eventually won 2 Academy Awards, including Best Supporting Actress and Best Adapted Screenplay, Precious was also nominated for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actress in a leading role.