The Help
Originally published on social media on February 9th, 2022
I haven’t seen this film for years, but I love it. This film made a huge impact on me during my middle school years and was one that began my interest in history (I am now a history major).
This time, I watched this film with an adult perspective and an enhanced knowledge of African American history. While this is a work of fiction, it is very grounded in history and portrays that time period with strong accuracy. During my African American history class, we spoke a lot about this era in Mississippi and it does a great job of describing SOME of the ugliest truths from this moment in history. Not everything involved in the African American struggle is described in this film, nor is the entirety of the political background, but this film/book was not meant to carry all that weight on its shoulders. Perhaps, “The Help” can be described as civil rights history for beginners.
Recently, I heard that Viola Davis regrets doing this film and many other critics don’t approve of this film because of how the voices of the maids weren’t heard enough. Also, some claim that this film has a “white do-gooderism” complex. I disagree with both notions and here’s why: First, I love how this film shares multiple stories and perspectives because it gives a greater perspective on not only the side of the black maids, but that of the racists who ran Mississippi society and how challenging it really was to fight the status quo. Fighting for what is right is always challenging, but it was WAY MORE challenging back then. Also, it depicts how horribly black people were treated EVERYDAY and in big and little ways.
I disagree with the notion of white do-gooderism because Skeeter had real conviction and knew none of this was ever about her. That’s why her book is written by “anonymous” & she splits the money with everyone.
The film is 2hrs 26 mins, that’s long. I would love a mini series of this story that went into greater detail, but it is still a very detailed film. If you want more, read the book or better yet, learn the history.