Wow! I'm typically in for light-hearted flicks and my friends know it, so I was kind of confused why my friend would invite me to see a movie like this. It was extremely powerful and extremely good. I will give the warning, though, that it's very painful to watch.
The general premise (much of which you can get from the trailer) is that Precious is a pregnant 16-year-old who is continually raped by her father and has an abusive mother. She lives in extreme poverty and enrolls in a school where she meets other teens similar to her. Luckily Precious has a teacher who cares deeply for her students.
I feel as if I want to give the movie only 4 stars because it's so disturbing at times, but I have to give it 5 stars because it seems so realistic. Despite what I initially thought it would be, the movie never feels campy or over-dramatic. I've heard the movie is actually lighter and more "hopeful" that the book on which it is based, if that's even possible.
I'd highly-recommend this movie. It's great! But, again, if you have a difficult time watching people in extremely tough situations, steer clear. I'd be surprised if the actors in this movie didn't get nominated for several awards.