The Help

Another quick review today,this time for a film.

The Help, based on a book by Kathryn Stockett, is the story of three women living in Jackson, Mississippi during the 1960's. Two, Aibileen Clark and Minny Jackson, are ageing black women working as maids in the houses of well off white families. The third, Eugenia 'Skeeter' Phelan, is a young white woman seeking to be a writer with a big publishing company. The story itself follows Skeeter's quest to write a book, using real stories from real people, exposing the experiences of 'the help', who do everything from cooking and cleaning to raising the children of their employers. The stories themselves are shocking, heart-warming and hilarious in equal measure, and the characters are portrayed excellently, showing all the emotions behind being a part of a publication that, under the Mississippi laws of the time, was illegal.

I enjoyed this film very much. The subject is not something I have come across before, and I wasn't even aware that this sort of thing even happened. It seems incredible to me that some of the things in the film might actually have happened. Of course I understand that the film may have been exaggerated, but I can't help but be touched when the tiny Mae Mobley, Aibileen's charge, looks up at her and says "You're my real momma Aibee." So cute and yet so sad at the same time; this child goes to a maid before her own mother when frightened by a tornado, simply because that is the person that she trusts more and is comforted by.

I would recommend this film to anyone interested in learning more about the impact of the American civil rights movement on everyday citizens, or if your just looking for a roller-coaster ride of emotions to stem the holiday boredom. Be warned, there is a little strong language, but not much, and blatant racism is pretty much a given, considering the setting and subject matter.

Overall, a brilliant film.

Glitterb