The Drama On Channel 4 Looks Into Caregivers Who Were "Underrated" During The Pandemic.

Channel 4 Aid introduces viewers to a young woman named Sarah (played by Killing Eve star Jody Komer). At the start of 2020, the coronavirus had not yet reached the UK and had just applied for a new job at a fictional nursing home in Liverpool. Sarah is described as being a bit rough, not someone who excels at school, but that's the point. This show clarifies from the start that the skills you need to be a good caregiver are personal, emotional, and physical skills - not necessarily things you learn in class.

Time star Stephen Graham, who plays one of the residents of a nursing home in the film, said the temperament required for the job was hard to find and easy to underestimate.

"It takes a special person to be a supervisor," he said at the beginning of the BFI event. "I have kids; I have to move my kids, wash and bathe, that's one thing. 

But to do that for an older person, for someone who might be coming near the end of your life, you try to live their day as comfortably as possible.

"So someone would do this day in and day out, not only the practical but also the human aspect - you're probably the only person George and Janet see all day. They are the source of their outside world, their communication. And it's so beautiful in our story, we see [Sarah] come to life. Maybe he wasn't the most academically gifted, perhaps he wouldn't change the world with his brain, but it would change someone's life. "

Text Sarah learns of UK's first Covid death from a radio news bulletin

In the first part of the film written by Jack Thorne, Sarah adapts to her new job and makes friends with the locals. She develops a special relationship with Tony (played by Graham), a 47-year-old man who has Alzheimer's disease young.

At this point, there is little indication of Covid - in one scene.

Sarah hears a news program on the radio while driving, informing her of the UK's first Covid death.  But then, as in real life, things change quickly. The nursing home suddenly got into serious trouble. Many residents have caught the virus, many of whom have little chance of survival and are understaffed, as many of Sarah's colleagues have had to self-isolate.

The most exciting part of the film is undoubtedly the sequence where Sarah has to look after herself on the night shift. He worked continuously for 20 hours with no other staff around and struggled to cope when a resident crushed by Kovid had difficulty breathing.

In a continuous 25-minute single, the camera follows Sarah as the nightmare unfolds around her. Sandwiched between commercial breaks, this is a highly effective sequence shot in a style reminiscent of films like 1917, and you'll be completely immersed in what's going on.

"I think this big sequence is probably the hardest part for all of us," said Comer.

And Mark [Munden, director] pushed me to do it; I remember there was a time when we did this whole experiment, and I was like this in my head, and I was like, 'I think we got it. It worked,' and Mark was like, 'No, we're going to do one more thing, and I'm like, "Uh, great."

"And we did it again, and the moment we got on the second shot, we'll never get on the first shot. And I think Mark is phenomenal at knowing when to push you a little more. That's probably the hardest part for all of us because we have to come together and act as a team." The preview check was generally well-received by critics. Abby Robinson of Digital Spy described Help as "one of the most influential TV works ever to appear on the small screen."

"You might think that you have come to terms with the last 18 months and all the horrors that come with it. Maybe you made it. In the end, time can be a great healer," he wrote. "But Help can be an excruciating hour for some, as is Thorne's relentless nature of storytelling, combined with Munden's innovative use of light and space and award-winning performances by Comer, Graham, and the supporting cast."