I am usually not keen on going to see dramatic movies. One of my biggest fears is to break down and ugly cry in the theater. But with all the hype surrounding the award-winning film “Precious,” I thought I would risk embarrassment to see what the buzz was all about.

Released in selected theaters Nov. 20, “Precious” is a film adaption of the award-winning novel “Push” by Sapphire. The film is directed by Lee Daniels (best known for producing 2001’s “Monster’s Ball”) and features the famous faces of Mariah Carey, Mo’Nique, Paula Patton and Lenny Kravitz in supporting roles. Gabourey Sidibe plays the title character, Precious, an obese, illiterate 6-year-old living in Harlem with her abusive mother.

Set in the late ’80s, “Precious” tells the story of Claireece “Precious” Jones. She is sexually abused by her father, which leaves her with two children, and verbally and physically abused by her mother. While she is pregnant with her second child, Precious starts attending an alternative school. There, she meets people who make a positive impact on her life and is encouraged to write in a journal every day. Precious manages to live through all her hardship and block out harsh memories through daydreams.

From start to finish, I found myself engulfed in Precious’ life. Usually, this can lead to boredom with a film. I’m always expecting things to get worse and worse, culminating with a cookie cutter perfect ending to tie everything together. These movies are often predictable, but “Precious” is different. I was focused on the screen the whole time and experienced a range of emotion while watching.

There are scenes involving Precious and her parents that are a little difficult to watch, but at the same time the movie finds a way to include lighthearted moments throughout the film. As many times as I felt sad or depressed watching Precious’ everyday life, I was able to laugh a little only a few scenes later. This is one of the reasons “Precious” feels so real. There’s always some kind of hope throughout the story. Not everything is gloomy.

One of the film’s only flaws is the somewhat ambiguous ending. By the time the movie ends, the audience feels a strong connection with Precious. From beginning to end, the audience experiences life-changing events with her.

Since the novel was based on a true story, I think the end of the film should have been an opportunity for the audience to learn more about what happens later in Precious’ life. Knowing what happened to her kids, her mother, even her classmates would have helped conclude the film more thoroughly.

Precious is something special. It might not be a full-blown tearjerker, but it does pull on the heartstrings quite a bit. The acting is good and the story makes you think. Lead actress Gabourey Sidibe’s performance adds to the realism of the film. “Precious” is fresh, honest and packs a lot of emotion. It is definitely worth seeing in theaters.