YES Cinemas Movie Night Review 6: Hidden Figures

Introduction

When you combine the Space War, three brilliant women, and their fight to overcome complex social issues that are still relevant today, you end up with the film Hidden Figures. Directed by Theodore Melfi, the critically acclaimed film was nominated for an Oscar for Best Picture and has won multiple other awards, rightfully so. This inspiring and exciting story showcases one of the greatest moments in American history through the eyes of African American characters and finally sheds some light on those who made history silently.

What is Hidden Figures about?

Based on a true story, Hidden Figures follows the lives of Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson, three brilliant African American women, who work at NASA to assist in providing calculations for several historic space missions. Set in the early 1960s during the height of the Civil Rights movement as well as the Space Race, the film intertwines the social issues of racism and sexism to produce a heartwarming and relevant movie. Katherine, a mathematician, is selected to take part in a special task force working to launch astronaut John Glenn into space. Between having to travel half a mile each time she needs to use the bathroom, not being given access to the data she needs for her calculations, and having to drink out of a segregated coffee pot, Katherine struggles to find a voice among her all white, all male co-workers who are often dismissing and demeaning towards her. Dorothy, who has been acting as an unofficial supervisor for the colored group at NASA is told time and time again that she will not be promoted despite being qualified and respected among the other workers. Mary is assigned to the “Space Capsule Heat Shield” team when she decides she wants to be an engineer. This serves as a problem as the only way to do so would be through completing a course which is only offered at a segregated school. The stories of the three women are tightly intertwined as they find strength in each other and their community in overcoming their hardships.

Was drug use or smoking present in the film?

There were no drugs present in the movie, however there was a short scene in which alcohol was consumed. The scene takes place after Mary Jackson is told she must take “advanced extension courses” in order to become an engineer for NASA, but discovers she is unable to as the only school that offers them is segregated. As the three women sit around a dining table playing cards, Mary continues to rant about her situation until Dorothy leaves the room only to return with alcohol in a glass jar. The scene cuts to a drunk Mary dancing while Katherine and Dorothy bake and ends with all three of the ladies dancing. Aside from this one scene, there are no other depictions of drugs or alcohol in the movie.

How is the film influencing viewers?

Due to very minimal substance use in the movie, the audience is not likely to be swayed by the portrayal. This allows the movie to focus on the showcasing various other ways the three women struggle with and overcome the racism and sexism they face. The main takeaway viewers can get from this movie is the sense of community and support present between the characters. The three main women are often seen looking out for one another. If one has to stay late at work, the others wait for her in the parking lot so that they can all ride home together. When the new IBM machine threatens to leave all the computers unemployed, Dorothy steps up to teach all the women in the Colored Section how to program the system ensuring they remained employed even after it started running. When Director Harrison learns of Katherine’s bathroom situation, he quickly takes action tearing down the colored sign. It is inspiring to see how the characters lift each other up and leaves viewers feeling positive and hopeful throughout the movie.

My thoughts

Personally, I loved the film. Seeing three strong women of color leading a film that highlighted their brains and their work was refreshing to see. The social complexities discussed in the movie are still relevant to this day and I appreciate that the movie showed these issues on a spectrum. The plot was exciting and showcased a good mix of both the professional and personal lives of the women. Being able to see Dorothy with her children at the library or Mary discussing attending school with her husband made the characters more relatable and realistic. Each of the characters were layered, there was no good or bad, just development. In my opinion, the one scene showcasing alcohol consumption was unnecessary. Although the scene was short and many people do turn to alcohol during times of frustration, making the scene realistic, I do believe they could have portrayed alternative ways to deal with frustration. Personally, I don’t believe the alcohol added any value and the scene would have been just as effective if the girls were just dancing to relieve stress instead. Overall, the movie was fantastic and puts you in a good mood and I highly recommend it.

(Shairi Islam, Youth Leader)

YES Cinemas Movie Night Review 5: Hidden Figures

Introduction

Chosen by the National Board of Review as one of the top ten films of 2016 and nominated for three Oscar nominations, Hidden Figures does not fail to wow the crowds as a spectacular film. Diving back into the past and showing the audience the sensational drama that entailed the race to get to space by United States and Russia. Along with the nail-biting intensity and suspense, the film reflects a true story and showcased adversities faced by women in the STEM field as well as being persons of colour at the time (1960s). With respect to the time-period, the film obviously contained drug use, we will further dissect the specifics and see to what extent it was present in the film and how it would affect the audience.

What is Hidden Figures about?

This film revolves around the struggles faced by three black women in the STEM field who work for NASA in the 1960s. Katherine Johnson, a brilliant mathematician, along with her colleagues Dorothy Vaughan a NASA supervisor and Mary Jackson a NASA engineer must fight against sexism, misogyny, and racism during the civil rights movement, at a time of intense competition between USA and Russia for space flight – known as the Space Race, when the country should be unified in their efforts toward space flight. The women must jump through hoop after hoop laid before them by society and the NASA administration themselves to succeed in their career fields. The film shows that we are not all born equal and that there are certain privileges that people take for granted – its essentially like going through life with one arm tied behind your back. At a time when segregation was normal and adopted everywhere in the US, persons of colour, such as the main characters of this film must work extra hard just to match their Caucasian colleagues and neighbours. Not to mention the additional challenges faced by women – especially in a STEM field. Nonetheless, the main characters fought through barriers in promotions, segregated washrooms (half a mile away), and even segregated coffee-makers, to reign supreme and show America that when the citizens of a country unite and work together, extraordinary things can be achieved – such as flying to Earth’s orbit and eventually beyond that.

Katherine, Mary, and Dorothy pictured left to right as well as the actors that portrayed them

Drug use and smoking in the film

There was no drug use except for one instance of alcohol consumption during a friendly get-together between the three friends. They were drinking home-made whisky as a way to drown out their pain and struggles faced at their workplaces and imposed by society in general. During this singular instance, Mary ended up drinking most of the whisky and relieved her stress by dancing with her friends and letting loose. Other than that, the film did not contain any other drug use, and only focused on what is important – the struggles faced by the main characters.

African-American women during the Civil Rights movement

Influence of the film on viewers and my thoughts

Due to the minimal use of drugs in this film, the main message of the film – fighting against racism and sexism, could be better highlighted and conveyed to the audience. The viewers are left with a positive feeling and hope that if you persevere and fight for what is right and what is fair, you will eventually get your way and receive proper acknowledgement for your hard work and dedication – regardless of whether you are black, white, a man, or a woman. As for the one instance of drug use, it had a very minimal effect, but may be interpreted as a means to cope with racism, sexism, and any type of adversity or challenge. Viewers may then interpret alcohol consumption as a reasonable means to cope with modern day racism, and sexism – which is still highly prevalent today, with police brutality against persons of colour on the rise and the highly unfair and prejudiced mentality that today’s society has against them.

All in all, I think the film did an excellent job in showing the audience what it was like for the actual heroes or “Hidden Figures” behind the first space flight ‘Space Race’ against Russia and how working together with people possessing diverse skillsets can be a great advantage. Also, that dedication and perseverance go a long way for achieving success. In my opinion, due to the minimal use of drugs in the film, and the positive messages it spreads, the film is an excellent choice for youths and even some children with the proper guidance from their parents and guardians.

(Abir Islam, Youth Leader)