“The Help”

In the first essay of James Baldwin’s 1963 book, “The Fire Next Time,” Baldwin writes to his nephew about issues of race and equality, describing what it was like to grow up as an African-American man. At one point, Baldwin tells his nephew that while most people believe equality will come when white people finally accept black people, “the really terrible thing, old buddy, is that you must accept them.”

Tate Taylor’s 2011 film “The Help” echoes Baldwin’s point of view, though it tells the stories of black maids through the perspective of a young, southern, white, aristocratic woman (played by Emma Stone). The two maids, played by the gifted Octavia Spencer and Viola Davis, risk their jobs, families, and lives to lift the veil of ignorance from the young woman’s eyes. And, as if that task weren’t treacherous enough, the maids must take on the emotional labor of teaching this woman to rethink her upbringing by reliving their trauma in front of her. Watching “The Help” can be wincingly painful, but it’s also undeniably funny — and life-affirming, illustrating the true difficulty and pain Baldwin linked to trying to accept those who have actively contributed to a history of abuse.

For me, “The Help” leaves more questions than answers concerning what is fair and what is right. So, by all means, take your family, your significant other and your friends to see this installation of Movies in the Park, and keep the conversation going after the credits roll.