Her political activism throws the apathy of others into sharp 'relief'. [=makes the apathy of others very noticeable]
His character provides a little 'comic relief' in what is otherwise a very serious and dramatic movie.
Just one day of sunshine would be a welcome 'relief' from the rainy weather we've been having lately.
(..) ...the space-time continuum and destroy the entire universe! Granted, that's a worst-case scenario. The destruction might be localized, limited to our own galaxy. Well, that's a relief. Let's go and find Jennifer before she finds herself. DOC: The skyway's jammed. It'll take forever to get there. (..)1989 Back to the Future Part II