Hidden Figures (2h, 7m, PG)

 
Hidden Figures, in a word, is inspirational-a film that is not only an unapologetic feminist work, and pro-African American but also fiercely intelligent-focusing upon three interweaving true stories of three remarkable African American women and their key roles in the nascent space program, particularly in sectors (maths, computing and engineering) that remain, half a century on, male-dominated, it is as important, if not more important a story to tell. Hidden Figures brings its trio into full view and sets them as what I hope will become inspirational heroines for a new generation of young women.

Without the three main characters of this film, we could well have lost the space race-and these three central performances are worthy of the awards they have been nominated or received. Whilst Katherine Goble, played by Taraji P. Henson, is the film's central character, with her remarkable skill for mathematics clear from an early age eventually put to creating maths that Al Harrison (Kevin Costner)'s Space Task Group needs in order to put John Glenn into space, there is also the story of Dorothy Vaughan, (played by Octavia Spencer) who not only becomes NASA's first black female supervisor, and key to the success of the new age of computers and their use in the space race, and that of Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe), who seeks to become an engineer at a point in which the field was even more male dominated than it is today.

The film takes us from the launch of Sputnik, at the beginning of the space race and takes us on the evolution of not only the technology of the spaceship itself but the complex maths and the people, and later also machines needed to calculate the trajectory to put Glenn into space, and safely return him to earth. Throughout this, the trio have to deal not only with the ingrained segregation and racism of 1960s America, but also with the discrimination that female scientists and mathematicians faced during this period, not only from their white, and largely male colleagues, but also from inside their own community.

At the centre of Hidden Figures comes its key juxtaposition-the quest for man, particularly American Man, towards the stars at a point that a great section of its own population are treated as lesser people. Here, Theodore Melfi, in only his second film, paints with a great sense of nuance and pathos-there are several scenes of our three heroines put upon, not in a heavy handed way, that a lesser director may inflict upon the story, but in a gentle, almost natural way-the back of the bus and the coloured fountains and the coloured bathrooms are tolerated, but barely-in a key scene, Dorothy finally becomes angry at the way even knowledge is segregated, and is escorted from the building, only to reveal she has stolen a relevant book.

This said, at points, the film demands that racism be dealt with head-on-Katherine's outburst at not only her treatment for having to trek to the coloured bathroom, a half-mile from where she walks, through all weathers, the segregation of even the coffee pot she drinks from, and the way the dress-code subconsciously affects the poorer paid black workers, resonates with Harrison to such an extent that he promptly removes the offending signs himself-whilst this scene is fictional, it typifies the slow, but painstaking changes that took place, at least at NASA.

Whilst there are elements of the civil rights movement-archival footage of Doctor King, and protesters, and even Mary's husband seems angry at the way in which African Americans are being treated-the way in which the three women of Hidden Figures gain emancipation of a sort is through their brain-power, their intelligence, and to an extent their dedication to their chosen fields-by the end of the film, they are not only in positions of importance, but to an extent, particularly in the case of Dorothy, are teaching the white women and men how to use the computers and mathematics they have devised. Even more important, in the case of both Katherine and Mary, their husbands become not only supportive of their wives, but of their intelligence.

The other key theme of Hidden Figures, that of female intelligence, is equally important to the film-it may come as a surprise, but, before the sector of computing was taken over by men in the mid to late 1960s, computing was a lesser, and very feminine field-moreover, the "computers" who are overseen by Dorothy are, in a sense, dehumanised-it is notable, that, with the introduction of the initially male-controlled IBM machines, so the female "computers" are seen as expendable, and it is only thanks to making themselves indispensable and moving into the field of computing that they keep their job.

Moreover, at multiple points, Stafford snaps that, as a computer, as the person who merely checks his own maths, rather than creating it, as she actually does, she cannot have her name on the report-there are many suggestions throughout the film, even after Katherine's maths begin to drive the Space Task Group, that as a woman, she is somehow in an alien world-here, shots are framed beautifully, with Katherine's clothing often the only flash of colour against a black and white suited background. The most striking change are in the attitudes of both Katherine and Mary's husbands, from being dismissive of their wives' work in scientific fields to being openly supportive.

Surprisingly though, it is Mary's attempts and eventual success at becoming a female engineer that typify the film's approach-if she was a white man, she herself notes, she would not wish to work as an engineer-she would already be one-and her trials to become what would be NASA's first female black engineer take her from legally challenging the rights of a certain school to allow only white students to evening classes to challenging the male dominance of engineering-her path alone would have made a fascinating film, but coupled with the other two, only strengthens this film's story.

Nor does this support of feminine intelligence stop here-the fact that major organisations, as well as the film's creators and major stars have worked hard to fund free film trips for female organisations such as the Girl Scouts and to poor girls, in an attempt to inspire those young women to follow in the steps of the three remarkable women and fill roles in the overly masculine STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) fields-indicate this film is more than just entertainment. It is a film that seeks to inspire a generation of female scientists. It does both effortlessly. This is not just a good film, not just a great film, but a film that anyone, particularly young women and girls, who have an interest in space, in science or indeed in female, black and indeed, black female empowerment, need to see.

Rating: Must See.