The focus of this paper is a drama film Hidden Figures. Released in 2016, the movie was directed by Theodore Melfi. The script was provided by Melfi himself in cooperation with Allison Schroeder. The main character of Hidden Figures is mathematician Katherine Goble Johnson played by Taraji P. Henson. She works with Dorothy Vaughan played by Octavia Spencer and Mary Kackson played by Janelle Monáe. Paul Stafford played by Lim Parsons is the closest the movie has to an antagonist. Kevin Costner plays Al Harrison who is the head of the Space Task Group where Katherine is transferred. Glen Powell portrays John Glenn whose space flight provides the context to the movie. The main theme of the movie is that the motivation to achieve results can overcome discrimination and benefit society.
Hidden Figures is both a biographical movie and a drama film. The movie revolves around three African American women who directly participate and are responsible for the successful launch of NASA astronaut John Glenn into orbit. The film is set in 1961, when segregation of women and African Americans in particular was still prevalent. Most characters in the movie are based on real people. Subsequently, Hidden Figures intertwines two genres – biography and drama, with a heavier emphasis on the drama element. Although history underscores the setting, the movie is about discrimination (Ikawati, 2018). It is evident in that the scenes the drive the plot showcase women managing their tasks despite segregation. Although the film revolves around historic representation of discrimination, some researchers believe that it also promoted feminist agenda (Ikhsano & Jakarudi, 2020). Even if this was not Melfi’s intention, the movie definitely showcases women in a positive light.
The film opens up with Katherine Goble Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson driving for work. The women work as mathematicians at the Langley Research Center, which is segregated on the racial and gender basis. Katherine is assigned to the Space Task Group – an all-white engineer team that requires a mathematician to assist the group with developing the flight paths for rockets. However, the head engineer Paul Stafford expresses animosity towards Katherine in large part due to the instruction given to her by the director of the Space Task Group to check Stafford’s calculations. Despite having been transferred to another building, Katherine faces numerous expressions of segregation, one which is the prohibition to use local restrooms.
Despite the obstacles, Katherine succeeds in her work and impresses Harrison. At one point, Harrison criticizes Katherine for long absences during work. However, once he found out that the reason for them is her inability to use local restrooms, he makes toilets available for all employees indiscriminately. In the meantime, work pressure increases due to concerns that the US is losing the space race. Katherine manages to impress austronaut John Glenn, who begins to trust her calculations exclusively.
After Katherine uses the numerical Eulerian method to calculate the coordinates for re-entry into the atmosphere, it becomes known that IBM computer is installed that renders Katherine’s position obsolete. However, during the preparation of the flight, the computer delivers contradictory numbers. It forces Glenn to request that Katherine check the calculations. Katherine proceeds to assist Harrison with calculating Glenn’s trajectory, thus making the flight successful. The epilogue reveals that computers did replace human mathematician, but the women managed to progress further in their careers.
References
Ikhsano, A., & Jakarudi, J. (2020). Representation of Black Feminism in Hidden Figures.Nyimak: Journal of Communication, 4(2), 169-180.
Ikawati, L. (2018). Afro-American women discrimination on Hidden Figures: A critical discourse analysis. Indonesian Journal of English Language Studies (IJELS), 4(1), 19-30. Web.