The Help (2011)

Directed by: Tate Taylor | 146 minutes | drama | Actors: Emma Stone, Bryce Dallas Howard, Ahna O’Reilly, Jessica Chastain, Mike Vogel, Mary Steenburgen, Allison Janney, Viola Davis, Chris Lowell, Sissy Spacek, Octavia Spencer, Anna Camp, Aunjanue Ellis, Cicely Tyson, Brian Kerwin, David Oyelowo, Dana Ivey, Wes Chatham, Shane McRae, Leslie Jordan, Roslyn Ruff, Tiffany Brouwer, Ted Welch, LaChanze, Ritchie Montgomery, Tarra Riggs, Ya’lita Thompson, Carol Sutton

Kathryn Stockett touched many people’s hearts with her novel ‘The Help’ – translated into Dutch as ‘A kitchen girl novel’. Finally, the African-American housekeepers, who raised many wealthy white children in the Deep South in the years before the Civil Rights Movement took off, were given a voice. Stockett himself grew up in Jackson, Mississippi, and so did director Tate Taylor, who is responsible for the filming of ‘The Help’ (2011). Together they made a heartwarming and very entertaining film with a smile and a tear. It is above all the great predominantly female cast that manages to take ‘The Help’ to a higher level: even in the smallest roles we see a top actress in action.

Eugenia ‘Skeeter’ Phelan (Emma Stone) studied in New York for several years and is now returning to her family home in Jackson. She is amazed to see how her old high school classmates are all married, playing suburban housewife and keeping up appearances. She is even more surprised to find that the black housekeeper who has been working and raising her parents for 29 years has disappeared. She decides to write a book from the point of view of the black nannies and, with some pain and effort, manages to entice the embittered Aibileen (Viola Davis) and her friend Minny (Octavia Spencer) for her story. Somewhat reluctantly, the women reveal how they are burdened by the racist regime of their bosses. Minny was fired not long ago by squeamish Hilly Holbrook (Bryce Dallas Howard), a real wolf in sheep’s clothing who is already disgusted by using the same bathroom as her housekeeper… Her new boss, the gullible outsider Celia Foote ( Jessica Chastain), luckily sees through all skin tones, but she has her own troubles.

Despite the sometimes quite emotional moments, ‘The Help’ is a real feel-good film, which mainly focuses on the female part of the viewing audience. The problem is taken from reality, but Stockett and Taylor do not hesitate to add a lot of their story here and there. For example, the characters of Bryce Dallas Howard and Emma Stone are quite stereotypical (Hilly is the devil himself while Skeeter is very politically correct). Fortunately, Howard and Stone are excellent actresses who can bring such one-dimensional characters to life with ease. Most interesting, however, are the layered characters that Davis and Spencer play. Davis is especially impressive in her role of Aibileen. She keeps herself in the fold towards the outside world, but inside she is boiling with all the humiliations she has to endure. In addition, she has a personal trauma that she has never been able to deal with. In addition to the modest Aibileen, we have the expressive Minny, who has trouble keeping pace and often gets into trouble as a result. Octavia Spencer regularly provides the comic relief, as does Jessica Chastain by the way, who once again underlines her versatility in the role of maverick Celia.

In small roles we see Allison Janney, Mary Steenburgen, Sissy Spacek and Cicely Tyson, among others. Men are clearly playing second fiddle here. The decoration of ‘The Help’ is perfectly fine. Think of the apparently sugary atmosphere in the American suburbs, with warm and expressive colors as we also saw in ‘Far from Heaven’ (2002) by Todd Haynes. Just like in that film, behind an immaculate facade, a considerable cesspool is hidden. ‘The Help’ could easily have fallen prey to an overdose of sentiment, but by larding the story with a lot of humor, Taylor skillfully avoids that pitfall. This moving film will touch the sensitive nerve of many. Perhaps the approach is not always subtle, but the fantastic cast knows how to easily cover up that small minus. Viola Davis in particular makes a deep impression. A (second) Oscar nomination would certainly be deserved!