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What new movie so moved Oprah that she was gasping for air?
The film is called Precious, and you can expect to hear a lot more about it in the coming weeks, not least of all because Oprah signed on as an executive producer immediately after seeing a screening. The movie's title character, a black urban teenager dealing with a life of abuse and neglect, struck a nerve with the television icon:
"I recognized myself in that character," Oprah said this weekend at the Toronto International Film Festival, "and most of all, I recognize that I have seen the Precious girls of the world and they have been invisible to me. And the message from this film is that none of us...can now walk through the world and allow the Preciouses of the world to be invisible to us again."
The film's other megastar producer, Tyler Perry, also signed on for personal reasons:
"I grew up in that situation, listening to those words being hurled by me. When Precious would flash out and be somewhere else in a happier place, it reminded me so much of the things I used to do. Because I could be in that hell and hearing it and not be there. I was somewhere else in a happier space."
The movie doesn't open until November, but film festival reviewers are already raising Oscar possibilities, especially for co-star MoNique in a harrowing performance as Precious' mother.
Curious? Watch the tear-jerking trailer and hear what Oprah has to say.
