The Help

The Help

Set amidst the turmoil and strife of the Civil Rights Movement in the early 1960's, "The Help" chronicles the plight of budding writer, Skeeter Phelan (Emma Stone), as she bucks convention and butts heads with the Southern gentility on her way to completing her first book. Returning home to Jackson, Mississippi, after graduating from Ole Miss, Skeeter puts lifelong friendships at risk when she turns her typewriter toward exposing the secret lives of "the help" — the African-American women working as housekeepers and nannies in privileged white homes. It may detail one of the darkest eras in American history; however, director Tate Taylor's film is notable for its optimism and the unlikely friendships that unfold from the rigid Southern social fabric. Focusing on female relationships across the racial divide, "The Help" has earned accolades for its talented ensemble cast, which places relative newcomers like Stone alongside seasoned veterans like Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer (who beat out fellow cast mate Jessica Chastain to win a Golden Globe for her work in the film).