Last night, I decided to watch the film “The Help.” The movie was written for the screen and directed by Tate Taylor, based on the novel “The Help” by Kathryn Stockett. It stars an ensemble cast, including Emma Stone, Viola Davis, Bryce Dallas Howard, Allison Janney, Octavia Spencer, Jessica Chastain, and Sissy Spacek. I decided to watch this movie because it seemed to be an interesting concept, and in addition has garnered positive reviews from critics. The film has picked up 4 Academy Award nominations: Best Picture, Best Actress for Viola Davis, Best Supporting Actress for Octavia Spencer, and Best Supporting Actress for Jessica Chastain. “The Help” is an interesting look at the period of the Civil Rights movement in the 1960’s, and is worth a viewing.

The year is 1963. The place: Jackson, Mississippi. Aibileen Clark (Viola Davis) is a 53-year-old black woman working as a maid for a wealthy white family. She cleans the rooms, does the laundry, and  cares for the children. Despite the little money she receives, and the little respect, Aibileen doesn’t have many other options.  Race tensions at this time in the south are at an all time high. Segregation is rampant in many establishments, including within restaurants and public spaces. Even the maids are given separate bathrooms apart from the house where they work, and are forbidden from using the facilities indoors. In the midst of all this, we find Eugenia “Skeeter” Phelan (Emma Stone), an aspiring journalist looking for a strong story to jump-start her career. While observing the maids one day, she gets an idea to write a narrative from their point of view, one that would detail their experiences. Though hesitant at first, Aibileen eventually climbs aboard, followed by the other maids. They feel that their stories, when told to a wider audience, could make a large impact on the civil rights movement currently taking place. The novel, called “The Help,” is printed and becomes a huge success, in large part due to the contributions of the maids interviewed.

In many films, the character of the maid or servant is mostly a stand-in role, and they do not serve much of a purpose other than occasionally interacting with the rich land-owners. We do not get a glimpse of their personal lives, nor do we observe much character development. But in “The Help,” we are put right into the head of a black maid, and see life as she does. We see that maids, behind closed doors, act just like the rest of the world. They share pleasant conversations, joke around, and laugh. In fact, one of the most touching moments of “The Help” occurs when we see Aibileen, who is often quiet, give a great, hearty laugh while she is talking to Skeeter. Narrated by Aibileen herself, the film gives an in depth view of her own experiences as well as that of other black maids living in Jackson. In the process, we gain a perspective on just how wide the scope of racism is.

The casting of the movie is perhaps its greatest attribute, and it even went on to win a Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Ensemble Cast. Throughout its course, we see many inter-related, yet distinct stories, each involving its own set of characters. In doing so, we are able to see the many individual ways that people look at race. Our main star, Aibileen, who perhaps gives the greatest performance of the cast, is clearly bitter at the world. In an engaging voice-over, she discusses her plight of being forced to raise white children, while at the same time having her own child raised apart from her. Although she gets paid, she feels like and is treated similar to a slave. Her best friend is the spunky, loud-mouthed Minny Jackson (Octavia Spencer), who often provides the comic relief to the much more reserved Aibileen. Though both characters are unhappy with their working and living situations, Minny has no problem expressing her opinion, and often does so in a rambunctious manner, though this does get her in trouble quite a few times. Spencer brings to this character an infectious energy and liveliness, more than earning her Academy Award nod. Serving as a direct contrast to these two is the delightfully wicked Hilly Holbrook (Bryce Dallas Howard), who becomes an easily despised character right from the start. Hilly, a wealthy white housewife, shares a viewpoint that is reflected by the great majority of people during this time; one that is dripping with racism, prejudices and a strong belief in white superiority.

Apart from these characters, we find the delicate Celia Foote (Jessica Chastain), who, having grown up in a family with no servants, is not fully aware of the concept of racism. Celia treats her maid, Minny, as an equal; at one point even sitting down to eat dinner at the same table as her without realizing that this was against the norm. Chastain portrays Celia with a mixture of grace and naivety. Her character proves that racism is an unnatural viewpoint, as it does not become part of a person until it is taught to us and ingrained by society. And last, but not least, we have Skeeter, who, despite growing up in a house with a black maid, treats them with respect and decency. As a grown woman who can care for herself, the relatively young Stone shows sophistication in her role. It is her courage and determination within the film that serves to inspire the maids to stand up for themselves, and to finally express their voice.

In “The Help,” the Jackson, Mississippi of the past is created with precise detail;  including the use of a southern dialect, the accurately distinct outfits worn by both the maids and the wealthy housewives, and the atmosphere of the town and surrounding landscape. We are also able to see real events portrayed within the film, such as the assassination of Medger Evers, a black civil rights activist, which serves to bring the fictional story into a historical context.

The message that can easily be deduced from the film is that racism and segregation are flawed concepts. This can be summed up in one example. A tornado rampages through Jackson, killing ten white people and eight black people. Aibileen recalls the event in her voice-over narration: “God don’t pay no mind to color once he decide to set a tornado loose.” At our core, we are all the same species, and as such, should be treated the same. “The Help” shows this by combining a marvelous cast and lush visuals amongst the historical background of Jackson, Mississippi in the 1960’s. An easily watchable 146 minutes, the message conveyed is a timeless one.