I had the opportunity to see the awe-inspiring film, “Hidden Figures” on opening night. History was well represented by the marvelous acting and beautifully written script, which was developed by Theodore Melfi and Allison Schroeder.
STARS: 5/5
Set in 1960s Virginia, “Hidden Figures” tells the true story of three intelligent and hardworking African-American women employed by NASA. Together these three women were the brains behind launching astronaut John Glenn into orbit and successfully turning around the space race.
Katherine Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe) were three of the smartest mathematicians and engineers to date. The movie shed light on the trio’s hardships as African-American women during the civil rights movement and their perseverance to overcome adversity at home, school and work.
I found it truly baffling that there were no colored restrooms in the building Katherine Johnson had been moved to on NASA’s Langley Research Center. Every time she needed to use the restroom, she was forced to run to the opposite side of Langley’s campus where there was a restroom she was allowed to use.
This scene broke my heart because it illustrated a bit of what all my fellow African Americans had to go through just to do something as simple as use the restroom. This movie portrayed not only the struggles African Americans had to go through during this time, but more specifically, African-American women, who had to work much harder to prove their worth.
The audience was able to see what African Americans had to endure on a daily basis, including white versus colored water fountains, sitting on the back of the bus and going through a long and grueling court process just to be allowed to take college classes at a “white” school.
“Hidden Figures” is currently No. 1 in the box office and has made over $22 million dollars so far. The film was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards and is set to reel in big at this year’s Academy Awards. This movie was truly inspiring, touching and overall one of the best films I have ever seen.