Hidden Figures – an untold (before now) true story of 3 best friends who just happen to be Mathematical Geniuses. These three powerful women are the heroes behind the changing and growing nature of space travel, in between the notions of racism and overcoming those barriers, the movie is also a time capsule from 60s (who doesn’t love the 60s?). It’s filled with roadblocks that these women must hurdle, such as when Katherine (Taraji P Henson) faces a jealous colleague, Paul Stafford (Jim Parsons), who tries to sabotage her while Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) experiences a racist boss who doesn’t acknowledge her role as manger let alone promote and pay for what she is worth (Kristen Dunst) and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monae) who decides to do the impossible and become the first black female engineer but must face the court in order to do so.
Hidden Figures digs into the historical cannonball of segregation, the Black Panthers, Martin Luther King, etc. Goodbye to the straight-tied, coffee drinking, chauvinistic, white male (sorry fellas) and Hello to the powerful, strong-minded, determined women who have changed the space program and paved a way for women everywhere to get what they want. Don’t get me wrong, the film offers insight into what it was like to work within a male (white) dominated industry. Yet these women managed to change all that and also become the FIRST in their fields.
With the help and invitation from Al Harrison (Kevin Costner), changes gradually begin to occur. The removal of all ‘coloured bathrooms’ thanks to Katherine is begun in NASA, after an emotional outburst delivered to the men in the Space Group Task. The film is filled with historical changes but don’t fret lovelies, there are TONS of smart remarks that these 3 women deliver so cleverly that leaves me in awe! The revised continuation of the ‘supervisor’ position between Dorothy and her boss is one to remember, but I’m not saying anything.
So if you need a night out for yourself or with friends, my advice is to go and check out Hidden Figures, not only is it exciting and funny but for a film student this was the only recent film that I was so caught up in I wasn’t analysing it (miracle). Studying film will do that to you sadly. With this movie based on a book and with the protagonists still alive today (did you catch Katherine on stage at the Oscars?), it’s one to see. And once you see it, no surprise here that it’s made over $120 million and counting and received numerous award nominations and wins. Guaranteed to make you cry, laugh and feel humbled all the while wishing we studying more in school. (Is it too late for me to back?).
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