One of the biggest problems with many films about segragations is that they often depict a white person "solving" racism. In the worst of these films you come out feeling like an entire section of American history has been washed over in an attempt to make us all feel better about ourselves. In the best of these you get a true sense of what segragation was like and the profound effect it had on people. The Help may not be the best of these fim's ever, but thanks to its stellar cast it easily falls into the latter set of films.
The Help follows exactly who its title suggests. The African American maids of Mississippi during the 1950s. More specifically it tells the story of Aibileen Clark (Viola Davis) and Minny Jackson (Octavia Spencer) as they tell their story to Eugenia 'Skeeter' Phelan (Emma Stone), a young, white woman who has returned to her home town and now wants to write a book on the help in Jackson, Mississippi. Thanks to the Jim Crowe laws this is actually illegal so the three must not only confront the racist leader of the women in town, Hilly Holbrook (Bryce Dallas Howard), but also keep their meetings secretive.
While this sounds like it could be the plot of a seriously depressing film what The Help does especially well is blend humor, life and meaning all together. There are deadly serious parts to this film -- as there should be -- but they're are all tempered by a sense of humor that fits perfectly into the film. At first these laughs can feel out of place in the film and almost as if they are an offense to the subject of the film, but when watching the film as a whole it is easy to see that they make the characters more real and not less. Instead of a group of women who are constantly bemoaning their situation you have true to life women, who laugh and cry and are all the more stronger for it.
However, all of that would be a moot point if it wasn't for the performances given by almost every actor in the film. Emma Stone charges onto the screen in a powerful way from her noramlly comedic roles and if Viola Davis was any better (and Meryl Streep wasn't in Iron Lady later this year) I'd say give her the Academy Award right now. Even more impressive is Howard who imbues the evil Hilly Holbrook with more depth than the screenplay really allows. The final scene between her and Davis is truly moving and powerful.
It's hard not to enjoy yourself at The Help thanks to its humor and heart, but it's really the performances that give it meaning. Without the depth and emotion delivered by this cast the film would have easily fallen into the trap of being about "solving" racism. Instead we get a funny yet powerful portrayal from three fantastic actresses.
Comments