Review of A Little Help (2010) by Spencer S — 28 Mar 2012

A Little Help is what I wish I could have given to the main character, who is so trapped under the dysfunction of her family that she is wreaking havoc on herself and within her mind. I was really surprised by the level of dramatic tension and haunting dexterity of Jenna Fischer's performance.

Most well known for her awkward comedy chops on the NBC show The Office, Fischer seems destined to be a dramatic indie actress. She molds this film expertly as the disheveled Laura, who goes through a life changing experience and doesn't change.

Early on her husband dies, and a chain reaction is set off that ruins the life of her son, changes the attitudes of her mother, sister, and brother-in-law, and leaves her penniless and lost without hope.

Throughout the film we watch Laura squirm to find some salvation, some answer to the reason why she is outcast from everyone she meets. Laura is likable in many respects, and real in her lapses in judgment and the way she lives her life.

She does try to find simple comforts, or at least some escape from the bitter mourning of her husband, and the judgmental looks of her young son. Her son, by the way, was certainly the best part of the movie, as he maneuvers through life by letting his mother lean on him in times of crises, and sets her out to dry during the others.

The actor in question (Daniel Yelsky) is one to watch in the coming years. Really, it's about people whose lives haven't turned out the way they wanted by simple events they can't control.

It's set in 2002, a while after 9/11, which was addressed within the film. It really helps open the wounds of many characters, and shows the pink underbelly of those with little to cling to. Really, it's impressive what this film did with what it had, and was great to say the least.