Tara Chirpy / 31 March 2013 / Categories: Movie and TV Shows, Movie

The Help

A FILM YOU WON'T FORGET

I think the most important thing to say about this film is how it made me feel, a combination of sick to my stomach, drained, deeply sad but at the same time, uplifted and empowered, like I wanted to do something dramatic, brave in my life, something worthwhile that would make a real difference.

The story of The Help is set in Jackson, Mississippi, in the early sixties and although it simply chronicles the lives of a group of white female friends, all raised by black housekeepers and nannies, (The Help); it is a story of pain and injustice brought about by ignorance and prejudice over generations. Not because anything in particular was happening, the tragedy so subtly captured was because of the reverse, the way things were, were exactly that; accepted and normal.

But when the black female workforce in town, encouraged by one white aspiring novelist, Skeeter played by Emma Stone brought up by a black nanny herself, muster up the courage to share their stories with her for a book she wants to write to expose the truth; something illegal at the time, the film changes from a heart rending tear jerker to a tale of courage you can actually feel.

The all star ensemble cast which includes Alison Janney, (best known for her role in The West Wing) Sissy Spacek, Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer in the role of Minnie which won her the Oscar for best supporting actress in 2012, carry the film, which is well over two hours, 146 minutes to be precise. It’s the kind of film you know was long when it’s over because you are emotionally drained but never once was I bored or distracted and I am writing this after watching it for the second time.

It is hard to describe how clever the script is, short blasts of dialogue that say more than any long monologue could ever convey, expertly acted yet with real touch and super sensitivity. Characters you know, have met, can relate to even if you are not from the Southern US or have never even been there. This film’s legacy does not bode well for the history of those southern states, the residue of which still lingers and festers I am sad to say I know from personal experience. The director, Tate Taylor certainly sweeps nothing of the evil that happened under any carpet but this story has a much deeper lesson to share that goes way beyond geography and all of us are needed to play a part in the change for a much bigger purpose of tolerance and understanding.

A lovely film I hope everyone watches. Quite simply, because the world will be a better place by default if they do.