Help (2021) - Film Review

Rarely does a film tackle a subject matter with uncomfortable intensity and authenticity. Jack Thorne's drama depicts the COVID-19 pandemic through the perspective of the caregivers and residents of a care home. for me this was it a tough watch at times, especially for me as in reality I was deemed on the extremely vulnerable list - I was fortunate enough to have a safe space to be on shielding at home for over a year and loved who took the situation seriously and were there for me, but often it is difficult to put into words how difficult it was for myself and those who lived with me through the worst of the pandemic. Channel 4’s Help brings those difficulties to life on screen and it does so without preaching or forcing an patronising narrative.

BAFTA winner Jodie Comer stars as Sarah, who seems to have found her calling working in a Liverpool care home where she has a special talent for connecting with the residents. Then, in March 2020, the Coronavirus pandemic hits.

Similar to his writing on His Dark Materials and Don’t Take My Baby, Thorn delves into nuance and complex character development and often uncomfortable themes. This is heightened by the chemistry between Stephen Graham and Jodie Comer, their characters’ friendship and platonic love story being the driven force of this film. There are moments that truly reflect the pandemic from a realistic perspective - the ignorance of the severity, the concern from caregiver, the isolation and stress of being on shielding. All of these themes are captured with unflinching authenticity.

Jodie Comer once again proves her incredible range as an actress, never being one to be type cast and brings such raw emotion to Sarah. There are many scenes where we are focused solely on Comer and you are immediately captivated by her performance. The exact same can be said for Stephen Graham, who plays a strikingly different role as a resident in the care home and perfectly captures the nuances of the role effortlessly.

The supporting cast do a tremendous job at bringing to life how different people reacted and responded to the pandemic. Ian Hart, Sue Johnston, Lesley Sharp, Angela Griffin, David Hayman and Cathy Tyson were brilliant as their respective roles and I appreciate how this film portrayed such a vast cast of characters with various opinions without projecting a preference for one.

Marc Mundane’s directing for this piece was truly something. As well as looking visually stunning, as the story took a much darker route we saw the tone of the cinematography shift. There were moments that were truly chilling, especially when the effects of the pandemic started to hit home for the overworked care staff and specifically our protagonist. When Sarah is left to work the overnight shift and one of the residents are suffering with Covid-19, the tracking shots that follow Comer as she runs back and forth between the people she’s trying to care for and two phones as she desperately tries to call for help that was not coming were truly haunting to watch.

There were moments that this film felt like a horror or even a dystopian, because in reality that’s how dark times got for a lot of people. There would’ve been no way to do this type of story justice if they didn’t show the heart-breaking reality of it. Thorne definitely delivered in capturing the emotional moments and devastating consequences of this virus through these characters.

Similar to Dennis Kelly's Together, Help does a superb job at portraying the realities of the pandemic and the impact it had on not just the United Kingdom, but the world. We need to see this type of bold writing on screen, because this is exactly the sort of production that evokes emotion and discussion for its viewers.

Channel 4’s Help was absolutely a ★★★★★ production and I honestly cannot recommend it enough. It’s a must watch.