The Help, a 2011 film about race relations during the Civil Rights Movement, is currently the most viewed movie on Netflix – much to the dismay of the #BlackLivesMatter movement.
Bryce Dallas Howard, who starred in the dramedy, took to social media in response to the film’s surge in popularity and deterred her fans from watching in a new post on Sunday.
The film, which is based on the 2009 book of the same name, has been criticized by many for telling the story through the eyes of the white characters as well as the ‘white saviorism’ plotline.
Problematic: Bryce Dallas Howard took to Instagram to deter fans from watching her 2011 film The Help, which recently surged in popularity on Netflix, and suggested nine other titles for those who want to educate themselves on black stories
The 39-year-old actress played Hilly Holbrook in The Help opposite stars Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer and Emma Stone.
‘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,’ Howard began on social media.
‘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,’ Bryce continued.
Alongside her caption, Bryce shared a composite image of nine other film and television projects that she recommended fans watch rather then her nearly decade old movie.
‘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,’ she 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,’ the mother of two wrote.
‘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.
Bryce listed nine other film and television projects ‘that center Black lives, stories, creators, and/or performers’: 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
Her dad, director Ron Howard commended her in the comments: ‘Beautifully said, Daughter, and a tremendous list. Thank you’
The Help was a critically acclaimed film, earning several Oscar nominations and a Best Supporting Actress win for Octavia Spencer.
Years later, star Viola Davis – who was nominated for Best Actress – expressed her regret over her role in The Help telling Vulture: ‘I just felt that at the end of the day that it wasn’t the voices of the maids that were heard.’
The popularity of The Help on Netflix comes after weeks of protests have been raging across the United States against police brutality following the killing of a black man, George Floyd, at the hand of cops in Minneapolis.
Controversial: The Help was a critically acclaimed film, earning several Oscar nominations but in 2018, Viola Davis