Weekly Review -- Mind's renaissance

The Help (2011) -- Status quo is one of the most difficult things to overcome. The very name suggests stagnancy in the midst of complacency. It always changes the fabric of society for the worse, amplifying the discrepancies between the classes AND the classes themselves, as well as destroying the soul of an individual.

Unless that individual is Skeeter Phelan or Aibileen Clark.

One of last year's most touching and important films, The Help brings to life a civil rights struggle that has never been presented from the point of view of the women involved. Novelist Kathryn Stockett and filmmaker Tate Taylor document this somber period from the perspective of women uniting against ignorant minds, refusing to back down in the face of injustice and refusing to be bogged down by the past.

Following university studies, the aforementioned Skeeter (Emma Stone) returns to her Mississippi home determined to become a writer. When she gets a job at the local newspaper, she asks her friend Elizabeth's (Ahna O'Reilly) housekeeper Aibileen (Viola Davis) for help with the cleaning advice column that she is working on. Soon, though, Skeeter's focus shifts, as she realizes what kind of treatment the African-American housekeepers are enduring on a daily basis and how her own family and friends are shamelessly contributing to it. She decides to conduct interviews for a book that is going to reveal the racist truth, concealed under the pretense of laws in the segregated South. As Skeeter's preparations unfold, the young woman finds out who she is and who her allies are...

Like the rest of the world, I was aware of the American Civil Rights Movement and its inception. I was aware of Rosa Parks' 1955 triumph, the 1963 16th Street Baptist Church bombing and the 1964 Mississippi murders, among other events of the era. This readiness of knowledge did not prevent me from bawling in the film's first fifteen minutes. Frankly, I was in shock at the brutal treatment of human beings that I knew to be far from fiction. Seeing a reenactment while knowing that someone had lived through these situations was a rather disturbing experience, but not more so than the harrowing reality of 1960s America. Watching these ladies strive to remain invisible to the exploitative white families and watching them laugh in the rare moments of joy is a powerful contrast, one that creates the film's gravitas. In general, it is the element of female friendship and bonding that builds the rapport between the on-screen proceedings and the audience. The characters and the battles they fight are richly drawn, taking us on an emotional roller coaster ride. We bear witness to Aibileen's love for Elizabeth's daughter and Celia's outcast status. We cheer on Skeeter's resolve to remain an intelligent, outspoken woman in a misogynistic environment. These representations of virtues conquering transgressions constitute the core of The Help, with the fresh narrative conveying the intricate nature of relationships born within bigotry.

The acting complements Taylor's perceptive screenplay. Stone is zeal personified as the spunky Skeeter, who does not let anything interfere with her beliefs and integrity. Octavia Spencer radiates as Minny Jackson, a woman so chronically abused that she has become afraid of hope itself. Viola Davis... wow. What an intense and heartbreaking portrayal of a person who was never given a chance to be whoever she wanted to be. Another standout is Jessica Chastain as Celia Foote, a gentle and misunderstood soul who bonds with Minny and gives her a push to break out of her restrictive life. Howard is also a revelation as the uptight and racist Hilly Holbrook, a woman blinded by her hatred and ill-perceived superiority, while Allison Janney and Sissy Spacek have fantastic supporting turns as Skeeter's and Hilly's mother, respectively. Finally, special mentions must go to Cicely Tyson's Constantine Jefferson. Although the role is small, the character is pivotal for Skeeter's evolution and Tyson does her justice. The actor is able to express more through glances and body language than many other performers might be able to express using pages and pages of script.

The Help is a film that invites the audience into its world and does not allow us to make ourselves cozy. Instead, it requests that we reconsider our lives in light of the oppression that it depicts and look at the bigger picture in regard to the manner in which we treat others. Its story is a slice of truth from a thankfully bygone era; nevertheless, it is impossible to forget that merely half a century has passed since these crimes occurred. The film does not settle for preaching the bland excuse of tolerance, but chooses to foster respect, encourage change and wisely remind us that progress still has a long way to go.

10/10