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)