The Help (2011)

A sharp critique on American family life during the 1960s, where many affluent white families hired African American maids, and treated them appallingly.

Civil rights finds its roots in 1950s and 1960s American culture, where the disenfranchised minorities found a voice, and the momentum of that voice carried through changes which would see a fairer society. However, this era also carries with it a nostalgia for middle-class America, with the “baby boom” after the war, the movement from cities to suburbia, and the “White Picket Fence” dream that many Americans had. In this film from director Tate Taylor, we see these two incredible opposing notions come together.

Emma Stone plays aspiring writer Skeeter, a rich kid with a heart of gold, who sees the treatment of black maids as abhorrent, and attempts to document their stories in order to enable social change, as well as further her career. Skeeter searches out maids who would be willing to go on the record with their experiences, many of whom refuse for fear of losing their jobs or worse. One maid, Abilene (Viola Davis), accepts Skeeter’s invitation, and helps her document the relationship between her and her white employer.

Many important themes are raised by this story, such as the obvious ones like inequality and racism, but also an interesting notion that there was a significant amount of children, from rich backgrounds, who were essentially being raised by black women, especially when their white mothers failed to make a maternal bond with their children. Also, the film addresses the development of an idea into a rebellion, how a small act of defiance can lead to powerful idea.

Although The Help attempts to make some damning comments on the nature of American society during the 1960s, the film fails to go deep enough into the issues, and instead dwells on the surface, seemingly in order to not offend the audience. Furthermore, the points-of-view of men, both black and white, are almost completely ignored, in what is essentially a female story. We are offered no strong black male characters, and instead are only given whispers about the ones who beat their wives, and the rich white men are conspicuous in their absence.

Emma Stone does a great job as the stubborn writer, who seems unaware of the consequences of her actions, but Davis gives the best performance, adding a great deal of pathos to the drama.

One to watch for the witty banter, the period looks of American society, and the issues that are addressed, but viewers may feel a little short-changed on The Help’s unwillingness to get their hands dirty.