MovieChat Forums > Pariah (2012) Discussion > No Oscar nomination, but The Help got 4

No Oscar nomination, but The Help got 4

posted 12 years ago by fangtasiaforever
16 replies | jump to latest

There were a lot of movies that didn't get nominated this year that should have and many films (and actors) that didn't deserve to be nominated that were. But I just wanted to say I think it's a shame Pariah got nothing while "The Help" got 4 nominations. Some might say it's wrong to compare the two but I don't.

The Help is based on book but is not realistic and does a disservice to the plight of African-Americans during that time period. Pariah is very realistic but deals with issues that many people are probably not comfortable discussing. I was not surprised that the Academy heaped praise on the movie that resembles a history lesson mixed with fantasy as opposed to a story that could really happen. Last year I don't any films with African-American leads being nominated and even though Precious was nominated in 2009 it didn't win a lot of the categories it deserved.

It seems like the Academy has decided that since they gave Halle Berry and Denzel Washington Oscars they can ignore important Black films from now on, and that is a real shame.

[–] rejavanation 11 years ago

You're kidding right? Viola Davis was so remarkable in The Help, her range is ridiculous. I cannot believe you are comparing the sophomoric work of this indie film to The Help. First, the help is a story, not a historical documentary. It was told from the perspective of a white woman about a circumstance she had little understanding, but wanted to know more about. I read the book and it was brilliant. The movie was so spot on that is a rare gem because it really made the book unfold on the screen. Content wise it wasn't trying to be ambitious.

While I can appreciate the coming out story of Pariah, it cannot be realistically compared with The Help. First, the story was uneven. The acting was fair, but not great. The camera work was annoying. The screenplay lacked balance. While it was gritty and perhaps realistic to some, it is not a fair comparison to The Help. The Pariah was in a lot of ways autobiographical to the writers own journey which made it much more...personal.

The Help was also personal in that it connected for the writer a piece of history she was a part of but was ignorant to at the same time. Both are compelling stories from different perspectives, but you don't have to trash one to accept the other.

[–] mallettebrian2 10 years ago

Honestly - the Help was cliched porridge...the acting exactly as expected, the story, exactly as expected - black actors used to congratulate whites for just how forward thinking they were. The Help was a mildly entertaining film, as so many American films are, but merely folds itself invisible into so many other films supposedly about the Black struggle which somehow manage to make it all about white America. What was quietly revolutionary about this film ... ? Not a white person in sight.

[–] whitespirit26 10 years ago

Oh please, don't even start about the movie being white-congratulatory.

[–] trixie-k-88 11 years ago

I think racism and homophobia might have to do with it, but more than anything they often ignore movies that have no celebrities. Also, what does the Academy really know? It's mostly all old white men.

[–] 10 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Gabe1972 10 years ago

It has nothing to do with the fact that one film that "resembles a history lesson mixed with fantasy" and the other is "a story that could really happen." Nor that the former is based on a book and the latter isn't. The reason "The Help" got four nominations and this didn't is because "The Help" is simply a better film. I'm not saying that this film wasn't great. It certainly was.

Overall the acting in The Help was better and the story was more involved. I'm not saying that the main star in Pariah wasn't great in her role. She was. Pariah also had something to say, and that is a great thing as well. But again, the simple reason is that The Help was a better film. That's all.

Also, a question. What disservice is it that you think The Help did to the plight of African Americans during that time period? I'm very curious about this.

The plural of mouse is mice. The plural of goose is geese. Why is the plural of moose not meese?