The Help - 10 stars out of 10

The Help - 10 stars out of 10

'We livin' in Hell, trapped.  Our kids trapped."  "The Help" capitalizes on the strong emotions felt toward the racist injustices done toward African Americans in our country, even after slavery came to an end.  We often read about discrimination and segregation in history books but this film brings life to the unfair treatment of African Americans in the recent past.  Although the plot doesn't actually begin until an hour has passed, the first section of this film facilitates the necessity of vividly developing the characters so that their stories become a reality.  It is hard to believe that this is not a true story, since the details of each character's life gives them a historical feel.  The key to this film is its strong ensemble cast.  Aside from Aibileen Clark, no character has enough screen time to qualify as a lead (in my opinion) and the film thrives because every supporting character is brought to life by a talented actress.  From a role as significant as Minny (played by Octavia Spencer) to a role as small as the publishing company editor (played by Mary Steenburgen who is on screen for less than 5 minutes), every actress brings a set of convictions and unspoken past experiences to their character that create great depth.  The acting of the actresses is acknowledged through its three Academy Award nominations in Best Actress categories, as well as its nomination for Best Picture.  The film also should have been nominated for best costumes, but I digress.  Even though I am always in Merryl Streep's corner when it comes to the Oscars, I may be throwing my hat in the ring for Viola Davis this year.  It is difficult to believe that this is the same woman who played Abby Black in "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" in the same year, not to mention the mayor in "Law Abiding Citizen" and many other modern films.  In the role of Aibileen, she is thrust into the racism of 1960's Mississippi and delivers a perfect southern accent.  The real highlight of her performance comes in the form of her facial expressions, which are among some of the most genuine that I have ever seen in any film.  Emma Stone takes on this serious role but her accent falters at times and I believe that she is better suited for comedic roles.  Someday she could make the transition ' she even has a few strong serious moments in this role - but she hasn't proved herself to me with this performance.  Octavia Spencer is great in this film, often serving as the comic relief at unexpected times, but I don't know that she deserves the Oscar nomination.  The surprise of this film was definitely Jessica Chastain who earned her Oscar nod with her tearful moment after the bathroom scene.  Every film needs an unfortunate character that you find yourself rooting for and I never expected her to fulfill that function with such a beautiful smile.  She also creates the most heartwarming moment of the film and is one of those characters that you couldn't forget, even in you tried.  I would love to go on about every actress in this film but you get the idea.  All of this great acting is woven throughout this interesting story, brave and intriguing as it creates a harsh atmosphere that should not be ignored.  "The Help" isn't just another slice of historical American culture - it transforms the two-dimensional history-book African Americans facing persecution into deep, relatable characters who garner your empathy on every level.