Precious as comedy

I've just come from watching "Precious" in West Philly, in a full house that was 90% black. Interesting audience responses, so different from my own. For the first half of the film, the theater was raucous, as folks talked among themselves and laughed at people, situations and lines they could (I imagine) relate to. But the second half played very differently, as the horror and triumph of Precious became clear. The audience seemed held spellbound; at least, there was no noise, none. Afterwards, I heard three 20+ black women debating the emotional realism of the film. I was too stunned to get that kind of distance.

If you haven't yet, go see it.