The Help
8.2/10
Rating
146 min
Runtime
2011
Release Year
Tate Taylor
Director
Cast
Emma Stone, Viola Davis, Bryce Dallas Howard, Octavia Spencer, Jessica Chastain
Quick Synopsis
Set in Jackson, Mississippi, the story follows Aibileen Clark, a middle-aged African-American maid who has spent her life caring for white children and is grieving the recent loss of her only son; Minny Jackson, another African-American maid known for her outspoken nature, struggles to keep her job despite her family's financial difficulties; and Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan, a young white woman who returns home after college to discover that her childhood maid has disappeared under unclear circumstances. Their lives intersect as they navigate the social and racial divides of the 1960s South, revealing how the lives of the maids, often referred to as "the help," are deeply connected to the white families they serve yet remain separated by strict racial boundaries.
Detailed Synopsis of The Help
Aibileen Clark is a middle-aged African-American maid who has spent her life raising white children and has recently lost her only son; Minny Jackson is an African-American maid who has often offended her employers despite her family's struggles with money and her desperate need for jobs; and Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan is a young white woman who has recently moved back home after graduating college to find out her childhood maid has mysteriously disappeared. These three stories intertwine to explain how life in Jackson, Mississippi revolves around "the help"; yet they are always kept at a certain distance because of racial lines.
