The Help

The treatment of African-Americans in the USA has been immortalised on film on many occasions. This is the latest based on a hugely successful book.

Racism is not a concept that I can fully understand. While it is something I know that exists I cannot fully understand why it does. I judge a person on how they treat me not by how they look or the colour of their skin. It is not something I can comprehend. Communities like the ones portrayed in the book and this film, to me feel a world away or like they are on another planet. While I've grown up in a place where racism exists I've never come into contact with it directly. Which is why films like this I find interesting. They are taking me to places I've never been and showing concepts I've not had experience with. I thought the book on which this film is based was a good book but not terribly great. However I think the film is brilliant. It is an excellent story about a group of women who make a stand against something they believe in. In many ways they are fighting something that is so ingrained into a society that it will take a great deal of effort to make a change. This story is not so much about make a massive change but making a small change at first that can change peoples minds. Shining a light on something you may not know about. Seeing something from someone else's view point. This is very much a film about women. There is hardly any men in it and they are rarely seen. Women run this world. There is a hierarchy that exists that must be adhered to. If you slight the wrong person, especially the leader (who in this case is Hilly) then you become a pariah. It is such a cleverly crafted world. I found the film to much funnier than the book. Maybe I did not pick up on it when reading but there is so much delightful humour in the film. My only small problem with the film is that it drags a little in patches. I know writer/director Tate Taylor needed to put as much of the book in as possible to please the fans but he needed to tighten the editing a little. There is also the relationship Skeeter has with Stuart that I felt could have either been better developed or cut out as it does not fit in the story. I know why it is there but I felt it needed more.

Emma Stone is fast becoming the best actress in Hollywood. Her career up until now has mostly been doing comedy but this is one of her first major dramas. Emma is so wonderful and delightful. She can play such a determined young woman so well. I love her sarcastic streak as well. Bryce Dallas Howard is a wonderful bitch. You really hate this woman and all that she stands for. He character is a product of the society that has subjugated African-Americans. The product of all that is wrong with that society. Allison Janney on the other hand plays a character who may disagree with what is going on, feels she has to go with the flow so she is not ostracised by her community. I'm a huge fan of Allison so she can do no wrong in my mind. Octavia Spencer is a familiar face who we've seen before but now gets a more featured role. She is wonderful as the sassy member of the group. You also come to care for her a great deal because her humour makes things easier to handle. I hate to do this so early but I'm making a prediction now. I think Viola Davis will win or go close to winning an Oscar for her performance in this film. She is simply brilliant. Viola becomes her character Aibileen so much you don't notice it is an actor playing a part.

Certainly one of the early contenders for the Oscars. An excellent story told brilliantly. With some of the best female performances you are likely to see this year.