The Help

Welcome back to my blog!  During the past several months, I have had health issues which have kept me close to home.  I am afraid the blog has been left to rest as I recuperated.  As the new year starts, it seems appropriate to begin again.

About a week ago, my friend Kim and I went to the dollar theater to see the film, The Help.  The story takes place in Jackson, MS, in 1963, and shows life from the perspective of "the help," the African-American women who worked as maids.

I'm not sure how to feel about the film.  I've seen it twice, something I do not ordinarily do.  The first time I saw the film, I enjoyed it and found it thought provoking and entertaining.  When my friend Kim suggested we see it together, I thought I would have much the same reaction as I did the first time.  I didn't.

The second time around, the shallowness and hypocrisy of the society women were much more apparent.  Behavior and values were appalling.  I suppose it could be argued many of the characters were stereotypes, but they were more a turn-off than entertaining.

My reaction to the maids was opposite to how I felt about the society women.  I wanted to see the maids as my friends.  They were the most interesting characters in the film, and the story would have been more dynamic if more attention had been given them.

Kim's reaction to the The Help was different than mine. Kim thought it a very well done story with a good message about discrimination.  I thought Kim made a very good point when she said the characters were developed to play off each other well.  She said she would want her children to see the film, and I agree with that.  It is interesting that two people can see the same film in so many different ways!