Netflix subscribers are urging the streaming service to remove the Oscar-winning historical drama The Help as they accuse the hit film of having a ‘white savior’ narrative.
The 2011 film, which was adapted from a novel written by author Kathryn Stockett, imagines the relationship between black maids, cooks and nannies during the 1960s, and the white people who they served.
It has become the most-watched movie on Netflix in recent weeks, coinciding with ongoing protests across the US in the wake of the death of unarmed black man George Floyd at the hands of white cop Derek Chauvin and three other officers who looked on.
Social media users have blasted the film on Twitter, and urged the streaming service to remove it, arguing that there are better films available that address racism throughout history.
Netflix subscribers have urged the streaming site to remove 2011 historical drama The Help, after it became the most viewed movie in the US amid ongoing Black Lives Matter protests
The 2011 film was added to the Netflix catalogue on June 1. It became the number one film on the US website by June 4.
Thousands of Twitter users have voiced concerns about the message portrayed in The Help, which stars Viola Davis, Emma Stone and Octavia Spencer.
Blasting The Help, one Twitter user wrote: ‘So The Help is now Netflix most watched movie. One question: WHO is out her watching The Help to understand racism and discrimination?
‘The movie isn’t going to teach you anything about the injustice faced by black people. Go watch 13th or When They See Us #TheHelp’
A stream of social media users slammed the film, with many urging Netflix to remove it from it’s service
Another said: ‘I’ll be the one to say Netflix releasing The Help after protests and riots in America was not a good move.’
Tweeting to Netflix, a third added: ‘Okay but be a soldier and delete The Help from Netflix.’
‘Instead of watching The Help on Netflix which centers around a white savior complex, watch other works including: When They See Us, 13th, Malcom X, Dear White People, Just Mercy, Watchmen, I am Not Your Negro,’ added another.
The hit movie follows a white journalist as she explores the racial prejudice that black people experience in the town where she lives.
It comes after one star of The Help, Bryce Dallas Howard, took to Instagram to point to other films that viewers can watch in order to learn more about racism, Black history, and racial diversity.
In her post, she explained that The Help was ‘created by predominantly white storytellers’, and she urged people to focus their time on work that centers around ‘Black lives, stories, creators, and / or performers’.
Many have blasted the streaming service for hosting the film amid the ongoing protests following the death of George Floyd
It comes after Bryce Dallas Howard, who starred in The Help, urged her Instagram followers to watch other historical dramas to educate themselves about racism
She wrote: ‘I’ve heard that #TheHelp is the most viewed film on @netflix right now! I’m so grateful for the exquisite friendships that came from that film — our bond is something I treasure deeply and will last a lifetime.
‘This being said, The Help is a fictional story told through the perspective of a white character and was created by predominantly white storytellers. We can all go further.
‘Stories are a gateway to radical empathy and the greatest ones are catalysts for action.
‘If you are seeking ways to learn about the Civil Rights Movement, lynchings, segregation, Jim Crow, and all the ways in which those have an impact on us today, here are a handful of powerful, essential, masterful films and shows that center Black lives, stories, creators, and / or performers.’
She listed: 13th, Eyes on the Prize, I am Not Your Negro, Just Mercy, Malcom X, Say Her Name: The Life And Death Of Sandra Bland, Selma, Watchmen and When They See Us.
Bryce added that her list was just a start and ‘not comprehensive’ and encouraged her followers to add more worthwhile films, shows and documentaries in the comments section.
Despite receiving a nomination for Best Actress at the Academy Award for her role in the film, Viola Davis has previously voiced regrets that she starred in the The Help, which has an 89 per cent audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes and 76 per cent from critics.
Bryce listed When They See Us and I Am Not Your Negro among the films that help to learn more about racial prejudice
In a 2018 interview with the New York Times, Davis praised her collaborators on the movie, noting that she had formed friendships that she ‘is going to have for the rest of her life’ – however she criticized the film itself for centering more on white voices than black ones.
‘…Have I ever done roles that I’ve regretted? I have, and The Help is on that list,’ David said.
‘I just felt that at the end of the day that it wasn’t the voices of the maids that were heard,’ she continued.
I know Aibileen [Davis’s role]. I know Minny [played by Spencer]. They’re my grandma. They’re my mom.
‘And I know that if you do a movie where the whole premise is, I want to know what it feels like to work for white people and to bring up children in 1963, I want to hear how you really feel about it. I never heard that in the course of the movie.’
At the time of its release, the movie was actually widely praised by critics, with many highlighting the work of Spencer and Davis in particular, with Spencer actually earning the 2012 Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the movie.
However the recent criticism comes as Gone With The Wind was temporarily removed by HBO Max from its streaming platform after it was criticized for romanticizing slavery, amid a nationwide re-evaluation of cultural values.
Many social media users argued Netflix should remove The Help (pictured) because it’s not appropriate while protests and riots continue