The Film Hidden Figures and Its Relevance Nowadays

Hidden Figures, a film set in Virginia in the 1960s depicts three African American women who face insurmountable barriers. The underlying premise is that if it were not for Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson and Katherine Johnson who were ‘human computers’ at NASA would have not sent a man to space and eventually to the moon. Despite setbacks such as political and social climate at the height of Jim Crow, laying bare discriminatory laws and prejudicial practices prevailing at the time, these women rose up to be an integral part of sending a man to space. When I saw the film, I assumed like many others that as a society we have come extremely far from racist ideas but when having a closer look, it shows that we have not come far at all and we are still treating people differently purely based on the colour of their skin. As a society in the modern world, we can undeniably say that Racial Discrimination is still prevalent today as it was in the 1960s. Although it may not be to the same extent, the ideas still flourish today. The Flashback to trailblazing women sheds light on racial discrimination and disparities that are still existent. Even though the more explicit racism isn’t in full effect many today as in the movie struggle with these issues. 

The film depicts practises of white supremacy and the repugnant attitudes that come along with it. Viewers are encouraged to undertake the viewpoint of African American women and to truly feel bewildered that this story has not been told earlier. Where the audience see Katherine, a mathematical prodigy delivered to a room of all white males where brains and racism clash. We see that, Segregation and this clash in the movie is expressed more with visuals over dialogue. An example of this is when throughout the movie Katherine has to run 40 minutes to go to the only ‘coloured’ bathroom on the other side of the NASA campus. At the same time, she has to deal with men refusing to share the same kettle as her. The theme of ‘contamination’ that white people idiotically believed African Americans posed to them is appalling. We are reminded of how these women were treated like outsiders in their own country even as they helped the nation to reach global success. The multiple scenes use a variety of birds eye shots showing the distance Katherine has to run, including close up shots to show her struggle while doing so. Mr Harrison eventually notices she leaves for 40 minutes a day, and asks her why and she replies, “There is no bathroom. There are no colored bathrooms in this building, or any building outside the west campus which is half a mile away… And I work like a dog, day and night! Living off a coffee from a pot none of you want to touch.” Here close up shots are used to convey Katherine’s emotions and frustration and how she is drenched from running in the rain and shows her frustrations on the daily humiliations that her other white male co-workers fail to notice. These shots allow us to experience her pain alongside her. It shows how certain values, attitudes, and beliefs of the time such as segregation and white supremacy which must be challenged even if it is not the popular stance of the time. Another example of these visuals is on Dorothy’s trip to the library, with her sons on the cusp of adolescence, they witness civil rights activists chanting “segregation must go” in a protest where we see police officers, with dogs, approaching the protesters. Dorothy and her sons pause, when she says “pay attention that we’re not part of that trouble.” But, sitting in the back of the bus with them, she accentuates “separate and equal aren’t the same thing,” and says, “If you act right, you are right.” In the bus scene they use a long shot to show the segregation on the bus then shift to using a mid shot of Dorothy and her sons. The use of angles gives increased meaning to what she says as it makes her the focal point of the screen with her sons attentively listening to her.

‘Hidden Figures’ uses Civil Rights Movement as a reflection of a mix of hateful, obstructive and clueless white people, and brave, defying-institutionalised-racism white people who represent both the inertia of social attitudes and social progressivism of the time. The context of the racial segregation is emphasized in scenes of peaceful anti-segregation protests. Similar to the peaceful protests of the 21st century, unarmed protestors were confronted by heavily armed police accompanied by vicious dogs. What is really upsetting today is that African Americans are still protesting and police officers are still often treating them indecently. What have we done? Probably not enough. We are the beginning of the end, I think we need to act and finally reach equality. We need to constantly challenge and stand up to those who uphold prejudicial beliefs today to truly move forward. If we let those who uphold these prejudicial beliefs we are just as bad as racists by allowing it to not to be challenged. We have progressed in the slightest bit but recent events have shown us that maybe not. Our world will not change and progress as one if we sit back and allow this constant racism to occur. I think this film challenges the people who have wrong and stereotypical images and prejudices against African American people. 

‘Hidden Figures’ reminds us that these African American female computers were always human beings, even if they weren't treated as such by the people whose lives they helped change. John F Kennedy said, “We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard”. Little did he or we know that for these women and many others that go unrecognised, it was more than hard and I have much reverence for them. I believe racial discrimination is portrayed exceptionally, to the point where we relate to some scenes in the movie where racial tensions are still ongoing. It shows African Americans with gifts held back by the racist mores of the day, while having courage and forbearance to overcome them. It gives those erased from history the heroicness they deserve. ‘Hidden Figures’ tells the story undoubtedly needs to be told.