#help 2021

STEPHEN GRAHAM as Tony

Help (2021 television film)

with Jodie Comer.

In one stunning scene in the middle of the drama, Sarah is left alone overnight in charge of the residents - one of whom is seriously ill with coronavirus - and she has to turn to one of them, young Alzheimer's sufferer Tony (Stephen Graham), to help her manage.

Photo Credit: IG @channel4

I had contemplated whether to watch this or not because I knew it was going to break my heart, but then it is Jodie Comer! I just had to watch it.

I was barely five minutes in and I instantly connected to Sarah immediately which is a testament to the writing and of course Jodie Comer's absolutely brilliantly performance. When you think you've seen it all from her, she pleasantly surprises us again and again and I just love her so much.

One could tell that she was a person that had been looked down on for probably most of her life but she wasn't going to stand for someone talking her down.

I could feel her passion, courage in standing for what she believed in and her genuine love and care for people. She exuded a lot of strength in such an overwhelming situation and I could almost feel every emotion she was feeling.

I instantly connected to Tony as well portrayed by Stephen Graham, such a genuinely kind person. The chemistry and friendship between Sarah and Tony was so beautiful to watch on screen. She understood him in a way no one else did. The way they cared for one another and always willing to help the other person. I could now understand what Stephen Graham said about how they focused on who Tony was rather than only showing his illness.

I loved that we got to see, feel and experience the joy and the sense of family in the care home, before the pandemic hit. It really felt like a home with the natural chemistry among everyone.

As my mom is a care worker, I could relate to many of the scenes more, from the stories she had told me. Mom, if you're reading this, I just want to say again that I love and appreciate you so much and what you do.

And honestly if you've never appreciated care homes before, this movie will get you to appreciate them more. As a young doctor myself, I have always felt there should be no hierarchy in the health system but unfortunately, there is. Every worker is a vital part of the system, helping people in one way or the other. It doesn't matter whether you're a doctor or a nurse or a cleaner or a laboratory scientist or a care worker or a pharmacist and I could go on and on. No one should be considered more important or lesser than another.

This movie made me smile and also made me cry. And I want to say to everyone that lost someone that, I hope and pray that one day, you'll remember less of the pain and more of the beautiful memories shared.

Thank you so much to everyone that made this movie happen. This was genuinely beautiful and a very important story that needed to be told.

By the midway point, the care home is a haunted house. And the residents and care workers are trapped inside, facing a demon they cannot escape. A demon unleashed, knowingly or recklessly, into their midst by government failures.

But we must not look away as these fictional care workers rage against the lack of PPE – instead wearing only disposable face masks sourced from friends in the building trade and bin liners – or struggle to get medical help for their residents.

Jack Thorne talks of 30,000 people dying unnecessarily in care homes because of “the indifference and incompetence of our government”. And adds that, “Of the first 100,000 people to die [with Covid], 60,000 of them were disabled.” (x)