Monday, December 12, 2016

'The Help' - a feel-good-flick ?



'The Help' (2011), based on the novel by Kathryn Stockett and directed by Tate Taylor, is a movie that demonstrates why the employment of domestic workers in the 1960's can retrospectively be seen as a form of modern slavery. It illustrates psychological abuse, it shows inhuman treatment, and it captures the feeling of inferiority, felt by the primarily female workers. For the most part though, one still feels like he or she is watching a feel-good-movie, when engaging with 'The Help'. That, in my opinion, is an effect of the various character types in the story that range from humorous and optimistic to concerned and frightened. Two representations of the positive type are Minny and Skeeter; Aibileen on the other hand not so much. I definitely feel like this balance/mix of character perspectives enables the story to function as an educational and enlightening film, which can still remain within the category of easy-go evening entertainment because it leaves you with this distinct warm feeling in the end, despite its highly sensitive and devastating topic.

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