The Help

I have just returned home from the cinema, where I saw The Help. It was truly a moving movie and very thought-provoking. 

I knew of the conditions the black people lived under in the 1950’s and 60’s but never before has these conditions been illustrated so brilliantly, in fact the movie is an excellent illustration. 

It is truly appalling how black lives simply did not matter, at least not to the white, in this time period. I specifically recall a maid in the movie, voicing that her white Mrs. had put her in her will as an object – as if she owned this maid! That is horrifying and tragic – to think that you have the say over another human being based entirely on your race and colour. This, however, is also what makes the movie so gripping and memorable. 

The touching stories from black maids who either worships their Mrs. or loathes them makes all the difference. It creates another dynamic and makes the movie even more intriguing, when you as a viewer see how fond these black maids are of the children, they take care of – how powerful the bonds between the children and the maids are. 

One heart wrenching event in the movie is when a little girl tells her maid that this maid is her real mommy. It is a very touching and sentimental moment. 

The movie is not only realistic and horrific in many ways – it is also a very humorous movie. The wit in the movie makes up for the heavier parts. There is never a dull moment. It is amazing to see how, even though the whites see the blacks as a secondary race, they are quick to take advantage of their cooking and cleaning skills and even let them take care of their children. 

In a society like this it is amazing to see how big of an influence the blacks have in the white society without the whites knowing. It is by far one of the best movies there has ever been made and one of my personal favourites.