The Help

Important Oppression Drama Documents the Power of the Press

This was another movie I didn't expect to be impressed by. I went to the theater more unsure than anything else, but I have to admit, this is very engaging movie that focuses on some important, often overlooked points in U.S. history. It reminds us that the African American race's hard times didn't end with slavery..at all. Times were still very, very hard many years after its members were given their freedom.

The American film classic Gone With the Wind depicts the character of "Mammy" as a black but nonetheless very caring devoted maid who is very loyal to the family she works for. This movie features a cast of similar characters. Set in Jackson Mississippi, it tells of Eugenia (nicknamed Skeeter) a young woman from a well-to-do family who returns to her home in Jackson with a college degree and dreams of becoming a writer. She gets a low end job writing an advice cleaning advice piece for the local newspaper, but soon becomes interested in another topic - the treatment of black people in her home city. Having been raised by a black maid herself, Skeeter feels a certain attachment to the maids of the city that the rest of her family and many of her friends to do. Surrounded by cruelty and racism, Skeeter sets off on a quest to give the local blacks a voice by publishing a book of interviews given by black maids, testifying how bad they really have have it. It's a well written, well acted film that does the original book justice. Emma Stone leads a group of B-list actors all of whom give top notch performances. This film also documents how far the power of the press can go and proves better than anything to come along before it that the pen is in fact mightier than the sword. Anyone looking for a good movie should give this a go - it's an important film that everyone of age should see.

5 Stars