Hidden Figures - Historical drama done right
Most biopics and historical dramas focus on stories that we are already familiar with. The most interesting pieces of history are the ones hidden from the mainstream. Hidden Figures goes out of its way to tell an interesting story and comes away being an amazing tale of three heroic women and the difficulties they faced.
Three women, Katherine Goble (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer), and Mary Jackson (Janelle Moane) are talented computers working for NASA in the early years of the space race. After the successful launch of Sputnik the US finds itself moving as quickly as possible to get a man into space before the Russians. The three women are relegated to different areas on NASA’s campus that are best suited to them and find themselves fighting for proper recognition of their talents and against workplace racism and segregation during the height of the Civil Right movement.
Hidden Figures is filled with incredible performances. Spencer does an amazing job as the eldest of the three leads. She is a motherly figure and is clearly familiar with the more egregious and unapologetic racism as opposed to her colleagues. It’s empowering to not only see to fight for the station and respect she deserves, but to protect and ensure the protection of her fellow women as well. One of the most moving points in the film comes from Dorothy securing the positions of her coworkers and she leads them in a triumphant parade of victory to a building that they were once forbidden to enter due to the color of their skin. It’s a victorious declaration of changing times and it’s an incredible image.
Taraji P. Henson gives what is easily her best performance so far. She proves that she can handle dramatic material while also being the incredibly charismatic and lovable personality she has already proven herself to be in other projects. Although, Henson’s work in this film is much more reserved than her other roles. Goble is diminutive but also capable of running a room and on the off moments when she can no longer hold back her emotions she is absolutely riveting to watch. She most certainly deserves an award nomination for her work.
There’s something so captivating about the story being told though. Other historical dramas opt to approach familiar stories like tales of war, crime, and political races. Hidden Figures isn’t about a familiar story. It takes a stance on telling an incredible tale of three women who have been unceremoniously ripped from our history books. It reclaims history with a fervent upward hoisted fist and declares the real heroes for the whole world to see. The film unabashedly strikes down the hypocrisy of segregation and racism, instead opting to show a story of three amazing black women who rose up against a multitude of odds and changed the world forever. These are the stories we don’t hear, and yet these filmmakers wanted the world to know and for that I tip my hat to them.
Hidden Figures is historical drama done right with amazing performances and talented writing that goes out of its way to make captivating points about history and the people who shaped it that we don't hear about.