Film review : The Help
The
Help
Synopsis:
The story takes place in the city of Jackson, in
Mississippi in the United States during the 60's. Skeeter, played by Emma
Stone, is a young girl who is politically involved in the fight against the
ill-treatment of black maids. She wants to become a writer and the situation of
the black people inspires her to write a book. She starts to talk about her
project to Aibileen, the maid of Elizabeth Leefolt, who treats her like an
animal (for example she doesn't want Aibileen to use the same toilet as her).
After that, most of the Jackson’s maids start to help her to write her book. At
that time, all black people were at the service of white people: gardeners,
maids, cookers... Maids are black women who
are in charge of the daily chores in the whites’ houses. They do the
housekeeping, they cook, and they raise the children.
Review:
In the 60's, black people were treated really
differently than today. Inequalities between black and white people were real:
blacks could be killed in the street just because they were black. They were
obliged to work for whites, they weren’t paid well. They had a real hard life
and weren’t recognized as humans by the whites. Even a thousand years after the
abolition of slavery, the situation was still complicated. The movie helps us
to understand these hard working conditions and how complicated it was to be a
black person in the 60's. For us, people of the twenty-first century, it's a
real revelation. Today, the living conditions of those people are pretty good.
It's impressive to see how the situation changed in fifty years. Now, it's hard
to imagine that black people were treated differently from white people, and
the movie helps us to become aware of the reality. A movie has to entertain the people and
educate too. We think this movie keeps its promises because it does both.
A scene we loved at the redaction:
www.odysseeducinema.fr
We really liked the scene at Aibileen's house, when many
black maids come to testify to their working conditions in white people's
house. They come after Minny convinced them to accept the interview for
Skeeter's book. At this moment, we really realize than the ill-treatment of
black people is not an isolated case. They all complain about these bad
conditions. Some of them are treated even worse than Aibileen and Minny are and
we can take notice of the severity of the ill-treatment of black maids in the
60's.
Written by Juliette
Bescond and Morgane Dellozcour
Interesting article. I agree that in 50 years, the way of thinking has evolved but we must not forget that slavery still exists in some places in the world. Particularly today, we can witness that racism is still growing in certain part of the world. I believe that it would be necessary to show this film to everybody on earth. Your description of this scene gave me the desire to see the film again.
RépondreSupprimerBaptiste.
Thank you so much, and we agree with your point of view. It's real that this movie could help to fight against the racism that still exists today. Juliette and Morgane
SupprimerYour article make you to watch the movie. We will tell you if we'll like it like you :) Jeanne and Margaux
RépondreSupprimerYou are so cute, we love you <3 Juliette et Morgane
SupprimerIt seems that we have the same point of view about this movie. The racial segregation is a scourge too present during this period, it's great too see a film which deals with that problematic.
RépondreSupprimerWe didn't read your article. Our reaction was like Minni's shit cake to Mrs Hilly. No personality, let alone the lack of talent. 1/20 just to pay the paper ! Friendly, Clara and Thomas
RépondreSupprimerHow can you juge something you did not even read ? How could Miss Hilly juge Minny's cake without having tasted it ? It's the same with you, don't ever juge something you don't knom. Sincerely and with a lot of love, Juliette et Morgane.
SupprimerPS : That was a joke. You broke our heart, and we are now depressive.