THE HELP

US, 2011, 146 minutes. Colour.
Emma Stone, Viola Davis, Bryce Dallas Howard, Octavia Spencer, Jessica Chastain, Ahna O’ Reilly, Allison Janney, Anna Camp, Eleanor Henry, Emma Henry, Cicely Tyson, Mike Vogel, Sissy Spacek, Brian Kerwin, Mary Steenburgen, Dana Ivey, David Oyelowo.
Directed by Tate Taylor.

It’s not quite accurate to say that one will enjoy The Help. Actually, one might be squirming in one’s seat at times – for the right reasons. This is a film about American racism, as late as 1967. Some of the sequences are so effective in displaying how seemingly well brought up young woman can be so patronising, condescending and unjust to their maids, ‘the help’.

Box-office has been high for The Help. It is one of those movies that you realise taps into the wide audience sensibility, that the characters are humane enough for audiences to identify with them, and that the issues are important enough to be concerned about. It’s the type of film that turns up with Oscar nominations (a bit like the response to The King’s Speech), that people vote for, able to overlook some of the stereotyping or other limitations that critics point out, because they liked the film so much and were moved.

The film is an adaptation of a popular novel by a white writer, Kathryn Stockett. The central character of The Help is a hopeful white writer, Eugenia ‘Skeeter’ Phelan, played with sunny confidence and concern by Emma Stone who has shown she is a talented performer in comedies and does very well here, especially in challenging presuppositions about race and the help. But, it is the black women who are at the core of the story, the maids whose ancestors were slaves, whose mothers and grandmothers were slaves in the southern states like Mississippi, which is the location for this story.

Viola Davis has shown great versatility in her roles (a police chief in Law Abiding Citizen, an upset mother in Doubt). She holds this film together with her rich interpretation of Aibeleen, telling her story, patient with hardships, at home with poverty and a son who returned from Vietnam damaged, but spending her days in the homes of the rich, bringing affection to their often neglected children. Then there is Octavia Spencer as the large, amiable but more often irascible, Minny, who perpetrates a literally distasteful trick on the haughtiest of the young mothers in the town. They show different faces of human dignity while locked in a society that still deems them inferior – and thinks it is doing them a favour by building a separated toilet for their use at work (because they have stupid presuppositions about health, hygiene, in different races).

Skeeter persuades Aibileen to tell her story as well as Minny who is initially reluctant. Aibileen writes down her story and, eventually, the other maids tell theirs. Skeeter has a New York publisher connection (Mary Steenburgen) and the stories are published as The Help. There are many enjoyably prickly scenes as the locals read the book – and react.

Bryce Dallas Howard must be particularly good as the ringleader of the well-dressed and ‘progressive’ wives because we cannot help loathing her. By contrast, Jessica Chastain (The Tree of Life) is also effective as the ‘trailer-trash’ wife whom the others despise. For bonus, Allison Janney is Skeeter’s mother who has a sad and bigoted story of her own which concerns her former maid, played by veteran Cicely Tyson. And Sissy Spacek is there too as Bryce Dallas Howard’s mother who is losing it in the battle against dementia.

This is a film where men take a back seat, either pleasantly supportive husbands, or pleasant young men who suddenly show that they are tarred with the same bigoted brush as the young women.

Perhaps many of the characters are stereotypes of southerners of that era, even acting occasionally in caricature fashion. While that may be a limitation on The Help as a work of cinema art, the film works very well in dramatising issues from the past which need to be remembered and repented of, a warning that racism is often virulent just under the surface.

1. The impact of the film? Popular? For American audiences? For audiences facing race issues? World audiences?

2. The adaptation from a novel, a novel written by a white woman? The character of Eugenia Phelan in the film? The black and white perspectives? Some critiques from black audiences? Justified or not? The film as a film rather than as a treatise? Or documentary?

3. The title, expectations, the maids, being referred to as the help, being used by the wealthy families? Issues of human dignity, racism? The traditions of the American South? The book which emerged from the interviews?

4. The traditions of the South, in terms of race, slavery, the end of slavery, racial superiority, presumed moral superiority, the using of the black men and women, the women looking after the white children (sometimes at the expense of care for their own children)? Their affection for the children? The children changing when they grew up? Laws, codes, customs? The whites-only ethos? Scriptural backing for superiority? Biological superiority and fear? The callous and narcissistic attitudes of the women?

5. The maids’ stories, Skeeter’s story? The work together? The memories? The humiliations? And the reader’s finally having some sense of shame?

6. The interviews, the focus on Aibileen? Her memories, being visualised? Her background, the voice-over, her parents, her grandmother and mother as maids? Life in the South? Her son, her son’s death? The son and his service in Vietnam, his drug addiction, the return, seeming dead to his mother? Her decision to tell her story? The collection of stories that she wrote? The friendship with Minnie? Minnie as wilful, agreeing to tell her story, her tantrums? The other maids, their fears, not joining in? The final joining together, the collaboration on the book? Its effect?

7. Skeeter and her friends, their talk, their growing up together, the maids in their house, the help, Skeeter and her going away to study? Different from the others? Seeing things differently? The idea for the interviews? The book and her ambitions to be a writer? Her discussions with Aibileen? The visits, the work with her friends, their personalities? Skeeter as different? Seeing Hilly and the others in a different way? Yet joining them? The issue of the governor changing legislation, Hilly wanting her to put in the magazine, her avoiding it? The strength of Skeeter’s character, her enjoying life, her sadness and her happiness? At home? The meals, her father’s presence? Her mother, strong personality, yet sick? Audiences able to identify with Skeeter?

8. Audiences identifying with Aibileen? Her story, growing up, the slaves, the maids, the work in the houses, caring for the children, the help? Aibileen and her love for her children, her son, the affection for Elizabeth’s daughter, her criticisms of Elizabeth’s neglect, her inability to give affection to her children, even hold them? Hilly and her attitudes? Minny, her friendship? Their discussions? Aibileen and her own life, at home, her family? At church?

9. Minny, the strong character, at work, sassy, her being sacked, her anger? Her discussions with Aibileen? The issue of the stories, the discussions with Skeeter? Telling her stories? Her going to work for Celia, the discussions, helping out? Cooking? Her skill as a cook, making the pie for Hilly? - “Eat my shit”? The reactions? Hilly’s mother and her laughing? Minny and her hold over Hilly, the book and the story? Charlotte and her using the story against Hilly?

10. Skeeter and her mother, her mother’s expectations, wanting her to marry, the father and his silence? Hilly and the others setting up a date? The young man and his rudeness? Skeeter and her reaction? The later meeting, his apology, the bond between them, the probably of an engagement and marriage, her hopes? Her shock at his reaction to the book? Her going out, clothes? The importance of the story of her mother and Constantine? Constantine and the memories, the bond with her, Constantine bringing her up? The true story, making her mother tell the story of what happened, her shame about her mother? Her mother’s later acknowledgment, repentance?

11. The importance of the flashbacks, the girls as children, the role of the maids, Constantine? Constantine’s story and her death?

12. Elizabeth, Hilly and Jolene, age, experience, wealth, their upbringing, their ability and inability to love their children, bring them up? Their husbands and the stories – and Hilly and her jealousy of Celia? Their gatherings, their work for charity? Hilly and her wanting the code changed? The issue of the separate toilet for the help? The stories they told their children about germs? The superiority? Hilly and her donations – and Skeeter arranging for the toilets to be delivered to her lawn? Her anger with Skeeter? Her control of the group?

13. The portrait of the children, Elizabeth’s daughter, Aibileen and her giving her affection? The neglect? Aibileen and her finally confronting Elizabeth to offer some kind of love to her daughter?

14. Celia, her place in society, her marrying her husband, living in the wealthy mansion, her being considered as trailer trash? Her attempts to make connection with the women, their rejection, her bringing the pie, locking her out of the house? Her wanting a maid? Minny and her approach, their talking, the scenes of their working together, the growing friendship and respect, Celia having her meal with Minny? The story of the pie for Hilly? Celia’s success, cooking the meal, her discussions with her husband – and his knowing the truth all the time, supporting his wife?

15. The telling of the stories, collecting the stories, Skeeter and her writing them up, Aibileen and her writing? The phone calls to the editor in New York? Her personality, her demands, expectations? Her response to the book, wanting more interviews? The publication of the book? Its appearing, the reactions of people?

16. People buying the book, glimpses of people reading it? Questions of where it was located? The hold over Hilly, her shock at reading the book, the denials?

17. Charlotte, her reading the book, her change of attitude, respect for her daughter, her confrontation with Hilly?

18. Skeeter, the success of the book, her future?

19. The final sequences in the church – the scenes earlier with Aibileen and Minny in church? The acclaim for Aibileen and Minny? The words of the minister? Their achievement?

20. The effect of the writing of the book? Attitudes in the 1960s and the South? The relevance of the issues in contemporary America? The less than half century between the actual events and the release of this film?