2016 | Dir. Theodore Melfi | 127 Minutes
"Separate and equal are two different things. Just 'cause it's the way, doesn't make it right."
After Russia successfully launches a satellite into space, NASA Langley Research Center computer Katherine Goble is transferred from the segregated West Area Computers division to the all-white, predominantly male Space Task Group. Despite Goble's extraordinary mathematical talent, her new colleagues discriminate against her in both subtle and blatant ways. Dorothy Vaughan, fulfilling the duties of a supervisor at the West Area Computers division without the appropriate title or compensation, requests to be officially promoted to supervisor but is constantly denied by NASA management as the facility prepares to install a brand new IBM console. Aspiring engineer Mary Jackson goes to court to fight for the right to attend classes at the University of Virginia in order to apply for NASA engineering positions for which she is already more than qualified.
Adapted from Margot Lee Shetterly's non-fiction book Hidden Figures: The Story of the African-American Women Who Helped Win the Space Race, Theodore Melfi's picture is a thorough examination of the prejudice faced by perhaps the most brilliant women who worked for NASA during the Cold War. Hidden Figures is centered mostly on the struggles of Katherine Goble but the feature also weaves the hardship experienced by Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson into its narrative. Heavy-handed in some instances but always captivating, the film covers a broad range of civil rights issues, from the absurdity of maintaining segregated restrooms to the institutionalized denial of opportunities to persons of color. Following an impassioned speech from Goble explaining how she must travel far from her desk to find a restroom she is allowed to use, in an incredibly dramatized but very effective scene, STG director Al Harrison takes a crowbar to a "Colored Ladies Room" sign, knocking it down and declaring that "Here at NASA, we all pee the same color."
The film features a trio of fantastic performances from Taraji P. Henson, the always excellent Octavia Spencer, and singer-turned-actress Janelle Monáe as Katherine Goble Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson respectively. Henson plays Katherine as a soft-spoken but absolutely brilliant woman whose frustrations are just boiling under the surface. Spencer is a pleasure to watch as Vaughan, delivering some of the best lines of the film whether imparting wisdom onto her children or addressing the passive racism of Kirsten Dunst's passively racist computer group supervisor Vivian Mitchell. Monáe is radiant as the forward-thinking Jackson, a woman who never passes up an opportunity to speak her mind. The film also features the ever-reliable Kevin Costner as STG director Al Harrison, The Big Bang Theory's Jim Parsons as spiteful STG head engineer Paul Stafford, Glen Powell as legendary astronaut John Glenn, Mahershala Ali as Katherine Goble's eventual husband Jim Johnson, and Olek Krupa as Jackson's engineering mentor Karl Zielinski.
A well-crafted film centered on three lesser known heroes of the Civil Rights Movement, NASA, and space flight, Hidden Figures skillfully tells the stories of Katherine Goble Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson. The feature is elevated by an excellent cast and does a fantastic job in promoting the importance of fostering diversity and STEM education among everyone without discrimination.
FRAGMENTS
- Set at NASA in 1961, the film depicts segregated facilities however, segregated facilities were abolished in 1958 when NACA reorganized into NASA
- In reality, Dorothy Vaughan was promoted to supervisor of West Computing in 1949, over a decade before the film's 1961 setting
- Also before the film's 1961 setting, Mary Jackson completed her engineering courses and earned a promotion to engineer in 1958, becoming NASA’s first black female engineer
- The character of Al Harrison was created to simplify the complex management structure of the Space Task Group
- The characters of Vivian Mitchell and Paul Stafford are composites of several NASA staff members
- The character of Karl Zielinski is based on Mary Jackson's real life mentor Kazimierz "Kaz" Czarnecki
- Janelle Monáe and Mahershala Ali also appear in Moonlight, also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2017
MCU CONNECTIONS
- Mahershala Ali (Eric Brooks in Blade)
