Hidden Figures

Hidden Figures

Starring Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monae, Kevin Costner

Directed by Theodore Melfi

The Story:
In the 1960s, segregation was alive and well in America, so much so it affects NASA employees Katherine Goble (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monae) in the fact that these women - although highly well educated, knowledgeable and confident - are reduced to working in the "colored computer" area at the West Area Computers section of NASA.  Katherine is highly gifted with mathematics from an early age, Dorothy has superior supervisor skills, and Mary is on the top of her game when it comes to engineering.  Yet, because of their color, they don't get a break.

Until Katherine is advanced to the Space Task Group after the Russians successfully sent a man into space, becoming the only person of color on the team.  She is treated with resentment by her co-workers, forcing her to go to the colored bathroom back at the West Area (about a half mile away), drink from a different coffee pot, and continually degraded especially by Paul Stafford (Jim Parsons), whom work she is designed to check.

Still, she doesn't allow these things to come between her and her work, and she uses her highly intellectual work with numbers to help get John Glenn (Glen Powell) into space, earning the respect of the director Al Harrison (Kevin Costner), who allows her more and more access, despite Paul's disagreements.  Meanwhile, Dorothy deals with supervisor Vivian Mitchell (Kirsten Dunst), who continually downgrades Dorothy's talents and refuses her as a true supervisor, even though she does the work of one.  As this is happening, Mary gets promoted when she notices a flaw in the experimental space capsule, but she has to earn a specialized degree at an all-white school to advance.

As the movie progresses, these three revolutionaries continue to showcase their talents and earn the respect of those around them, leading to drastic changes in NASA that eventually helps America catch up to the Russians in the Space Race.

The Synopsis:
People go to movies for many reasons.  One reason is to escape their own reality for a little while and enjoy something completely fantastic, something totally outside the realm of reality.  While others go to experience something they'd only see once-in-a-lifetime: a true life tale of people you never have heard of, but who made a lasting impact in the world.  Without movies, these tales might not have been told, and these deserving people would've faded into obscurity.

That's the magic of "Hidden Figures," as it tells the unknown story of three exceptional women who forever changed the NASA space program.  They endured harsh criticisms by their all-white counterparts, forced to the basement of a building far off the campus, and had to work twice as hard to prove to others that they're indeed worthy of working there.  They showed a true power that far exceeds most, as I know if it was me in that situation, I wouldn't be sure I could've endured what they had to go through.

The main heart of the film lies within its three main actresses, who work so seamlessly well together that it delivers a deeper, personal touch to the movie.  From the first scene where they're trying to fix their car, they establish their sincere friendship and showcase their own personalities: Katherine is the forever optimist, Dorothy is the practical specialist, and Mary is the no-nonsense, sarcastic witty friend.  It's a beautiful blend of these three personalities that deliver the biggest impact in the movie, as they use their strengths to their advantage, using persistence, patience and will-power to rise among the ranks.

The star of the film is the one-of-a-kind Taraji P. Henson, and if she doesn't earn an Oscar nomination it would be a travesty (I'm still shocked she didn't earn a Golden Globe nomination).  As Katherine Goble, Henson showcases an elegant grace and understanding that most other people in that situation would never be able to.  Even though she's clearly the smartest person in the room when it comes to mathematical equations, she's often cut down simply because of her race.  She even has to use the colored restroom which is all the way across the compound, a distance of half a mile (in reality, it was Mary Jackson who had to run the distance to the restroom, Katherine used the regular bathroom), which often leaves her absent from the room for long stretches of time, which is angrily noticed by her superior Al Harrison.  In the defining moment of the movie - and the defining moment of Henson's film career - she lets her nice, simplistic nature down and releases all her pent up aggression and anger on Harrison and his men after he berates her for being absent so many times in a scene that's one of the most powerful I've seen in awhile.  I literally found myself applauding even though it was foolish (it's a movie, not a live play), but it was singularly one of the most powerful performances of Henson's career.

Octavia Spencer earned a Golden Globe nomination for her role as Dorothy Vaughan, and I wouldn't be surprised to see her name come up again come Oscar time.  Like Katherine, Dorothy endures the harsh Jim Crow segregation with elegance and grace, but also with humility and timidness, but yet also with steely resolve.  She constantly asks her supervisor for her own supervisor job, as she basically supervises the group of thirty African American women.  However, she is continually undermined and undercut, but it doesn't deter her from moving up.  There's a particularly powerful scene where Dorothy is in the library looking for a book on FORTRAN so she can operate the new IBM machine NASA got, when she's told she can't get that book because it's not in the "colored section," and she's kicked out with her young children.  On the bus home, she reveals she took the book, and tells her kids "“I pay my taxes for this library just like everybody else!” 

Not to be outdone, Janelle Monae shows herself a force to be reckoned with on the big screen, both here and in the other critically acclaimed film "Moonlight."  Even though she's got the least screen time of the women, she literally eats up each scene and draws all the attention to her.  In contrast to Katherine and Dorothy, Mary doesn't take the segregation with grace, but meets it head on with sarcastic wit and no-nonsense determination.  After she gets the promotion after finding the engineering fault in the space capsule, she thinks she's moving up, but then Vivian tells her that she needs more education, even though she's fully qualified.  "Every time we get a chance to get ahead they move the finish line," Mary says truthfully, and it is the truth.  Still, she's determined to advance and petitions the court to allow her to take classes at the all-white school, and delivers her own awe-inspiring speech to the judge that once again had me applauding the screen.

The supporting characters also play a vital role in the success of the film.  Kevin Costner is an amazing talent who shines as the supervisor role, perfectly balancing harsh criticisms and compassion, so much as to eliminate the colored bathrooms at NASA, simply stating "Here at NASA we all pee the same color."  Kirsten Dunst and Jim Parsons are both reviled characters who undermine the women of color and degrade them as less than humans, and are both highly detestable (which is a good thing, because it shows what people of color had to go through back in the 60s).  Glen Powell does the recently deceased John Glenn all the justice in the world, as he plays Glenn as an eternal optimist who doesn't see color and values Katherine's opinions over anyone else's because he sees her natural gifting. 

In a film, actors are only as good as the material they're given.  This material - based off the novel by Margot Lee Shetterly - is powerful in its simplicity.  Not only do we see the women in their working worlds, but their private worlds as well.  Katherine is a widowed single mother of three who's caught the attention of Army officer Jim Johnson (another great performance by Mahershala Ali), while Dorothy and Mary are both married with children of their own.  Not much is said about Dorothy's husband, but Mary's husband is a lot like her - he's angrily against the segregation they face, but Mary doesn't want his attitude to reflect on their children.  Seeing how they interact in their home lives, at work, and together is the glue that holds the film together, and it's so perfect it produces a brilliant picture because all the pieces fit together perfectly. 

The Summary:
In a world filled with hate and prejudice, "Hidden Figures" is one of those rare films that will put a smile on your face and make you believe once again in the perseverance of the human spirit.

The Score: A+