I found ‘The Help’ in the cheapest DVD section of my favourite second-hand film shop,
and the strange thing was not the place, not even the price, but that the disc was in perfect
condition, as if no one had ever touched it, not once, while all the other DVDs I bought
had typical signs of wear. It is not like I was complaining about buying what is basically
a new disc with a great film for pennies. Call me a snob, but standing in front of the shelf,
I was having trouble understanding how someone let it out of their hands in the first place.
Only back at home did I find many critical voices of African-Americans accusing the film
and the book it is based on of trivialising systemic racism during the 1960s in America.
What is more, some of the leading cast members even expressed regret for taking part in it.
There were words like betrayal, the Magical Negro character, and the white saviour trope.
After all this, I still decided to keep this film in my collection. As imperfect as it might be,
it taught me something, albeit indirectly, and even if only for that reason, it is worth having.
hidden pilcrow 