That would be a difficult job for anybody, but as if the burden of being black and female wasn't enough, the film's heroines also face what is, in a way, an even greater threat: technological progress itself. Most of the film is centered around the complex challenge of getting a 200-foot-tall rocket into outer space with a human being on board and Katherine Johnson's pivotal, and as yet untold, role in accomplishing that feat. Please note that while Hidden Figures is based on a true story and not reliant on shocking plot-twists, there's simply no way to explain what I mean without giving away a few minor spoilers in the discussion below. The film made me weep during several scenes, but none more than a moment that serves as a microcosm of everything that is right with its entire guiding philosophy. The story tracks these three as they each make contributions to science and mathematics while battling state-enforced segregation in Virginia and a culture of lowered expectations and general mistrust from their colleagues, as black women in the 1960s. Al Harrison (a bit of a composite character, played with curiosity and charm by Kevin Costner).īefore her promotion to the Space Task Group, Katherine was doing basic calculations as part of a pool of "colored" women along with her undervalued supervisor, Dorothy Vaughan (Academy Award winner, Octavia Spencer), and her engineer friend, Mary Jackson (played by the incredible singer and performer, Janelle Monaé) who are each ground-breaking pioneers even in their supporting roles. Henson stars as Katherine Johnson (née Goble), a prodigious mathematical genius who made immense contributions to the space program first as a "computer" (what human calculators were called before machines took over the title) then as a physicist and mathematician working for the Space Task Group under Dr. These ideas permeate Hidden Figures at every level, from the core story about three brilliant and incredible women, to the way they become leaders in their fields despite racism, sexism and segregation, to the overarching drama of the space race and the achievement over the impossible on a global scale.Ĭo-written and Directed by Theodore Melfi, Hidden Figures strikes a fantastic balance of humor, gravity, and emotional depth – aided immensely by its powerful ensemble cast. It’s a film that everyone who loves liberty can celebrate. Hidden Figures, a historical drama about the science and personalities behind John Glenn’s 1962 orbit around the earth, is a film about the individual's role in shaping progress through freedom, equal rights, entrepreneurship, and great personal character.
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