Review of Hidden Figures (2016) by Sara T — 02 Nov 2018

Figures No Longer Hidden.

A Movie Review of Hidden Figures written by Margot Lee Shetterly.

Hidden Figures, a film written by Margot Lee Shetterly and directed by Theodore Melfi, is a detailed representation of the young lives of former NASA workers Katherine Johnson (Taraji Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer), and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe). The drama shows the viewers what life was like for the three black women working in a "man's world" during racist times. In this film, Katherine Johnson grows up a mathematical genius with a bright mind but a slim chance. Because of racism and sexism, Katherine faces challenges of making a living when she cannot find a job where she can work to her full potential. After her talent is noticed, Johnson and her two friends finally get employed at NASA as a computer. In the beginning, she is discriminated and struggles to prove her skill. The film Hidden Figures thoroughly describes the hardships black women had to go through during the 1930's and how they were recognized as heroes.

The film exemplifies all the challenges Jones, Vaughan, and Jackson faced through subtle but significant events. For example, when Katherine needs to use the restroom, the racism is so extreme, she needs to walk across town to use the colored restroom because there were no colored restrooms at NASA. This issue was only brought to attention when Johnson's boss questioned why she was gone for so long every day at work. The women of the film constantly struggled with being underestimated. This is evident when Johnson's co-workers thought she was incapable of understanding most of the calculations in one of the documents used to build the rocket. The person who gave her the document blacked out the majority of the page because it was confidential. Johnson proved herself intelligent enough to comprehend the numbers by looking at the blacked out numbers through the light and correcting them, so that the rocket could be corrected. Because of her actions, she earned herself more respect in the office and deemed herself reliable enough to solve issues. This event is an inspirational lesson on how not to give up when doubted, and to keep working hard through challenges.

Unfortunately, women were still doubted and underestimated during the 1930's. Because of this, Hidden Figures focused deeply on bringing attention to why these women should not have gone unnoticed. The purpose of the film was to make its audience realize how powerful Johnson and her friends were in ways that their co-workers never imagined. Today, the world still partially struggles with sexism and racism, but this could be changed by bringing other historical female-heroes out of the shadows. The title, Hidden Figures, is a clever way to express what the topic of the film was. Figures, as in geometry, apply to this movie because to make the rocket successful, Johnson needed to find out what went wrong in the calculations. Figures, as in important people, pertained to this film because the three heroic women were under the shadows of people who thought they were better than the rest. Therefore, this film brought out figures that were hidden in two significant ways. Hidden Figures efficiently brought attention to three important women of U.S. history.

This movie exceptionally shows true heroes through a sweet and detailed story. The way humor and romance were incorporated only made it more interesting. Hidden Figures might be enjoyable to those seeking an inspirational story of the underdogs of the world. This movie can make the audience smile with its witty humor and sentimental storyline. Someone who desires an action-filled film might not want to watch Hidden Figures. This movie receives 4/5 stars.