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I’ve worked as a computer programmer for 29 and a half years, so I suppose I’d be a little biased in favor of a film in which FORTRAN is used to exact socially relevant vengeance on the bad guys. The FORTRAN punch cards coded by Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) in “Hidden Figures” demonstrate that she is not only qualified to be the first employee supervisor of color in the space program, but that her “girls” (as she refers to them) also have the skills to code the IBM mainframe under her tutelage. Her victory was made possible by a programming manual she had to steal from a segregated library that vehemently refused to loan it out to her because it wasn’t in the “colored section,” as she put it. When her shocked daughter objects to her unconventional borrowing methods, Vaughan responds by saying, “I pay my taxes for this library just like everyone else! “.
When it comes to mathematics, Vaughan is one of three real-life African-American women who contributed to deciphering and defining the mathematics that was used during the space race in the 1960s. In “Hidden Figures,” some of the year’s best writing, directing, and acting come together to tell their stories. In this drama, co-writer/director Theodore Melfi (who, with co-writer Allison Schroeder, is adapting Margot Lee Shetterly’s novel) uses a light touch that is uncommon in this type of material, which helps to elevate the material’s impact even further. The director understands when to let a visual cue or a cut tell the story, building on moments of repetition before delivering scenes of great emotional impact. As an illustration of the absurdity of segregated bathrooms, Melfi uses repeated shots of a nervously tapping foot, followed by mile-long sprints to the only available bathroom to illustrate this point. As a culmination of this running joke, Taraji P. Henson delivers a brilliantly acted and enraged speech, which is her finest cinematic performance to date.
She plays Katherine Johnson, a mathematician who, in the film’s opening sequence, is shown to have a preternatural affinity for mathematics when she was a child. Even though Jim Crow puts a stumbling block in her path to obtaining the education she desires, she manages to earn degrees in mathematics and a position with NASA’s “Colored Computer” division. NASA has been on the lookout for the best mathematicians in the country as part of its effort to beat Russia to the moon. Because of the importance of the space race, they are forced to accept qualified candidates of all stripes, including those who would normally be shunned by society.
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We first meet the adult version of Johnson while she and her NASA colleague Mary Jackson are sitting in Vaughan’s stalled car, which has broken down (Janelle Monae). The conversation between the three women establishes their easy rapport with one another and provides an introduction to their respective characters. Vaughan is a no-nonsense character, Jackson is a wise ass with impeccable comic timing, and Johnson is the perspicacious optimist. They have received similar education, though each possesses a unique set of skills that will be explored in the film.
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Spencer’s mechanical abilities are highlighted first: her legs protrude from beneath her broken-down car as she applies the trade taught to her by her father. Vaughan’s mechanical abilities are highlighted second: When a police officer arrives to conduct an investigation, she is able to demonstrate her supervisory abilities. Despite the fact that the police situation is resolved in an amusing and joyful manner, “Hidden Figures” never undermines the fears and oppressions that existed during this time period. They’re all around us, even when we’re not looking for them, and the film develops a unique rhythm between problems and solutions that is cathartic without feeling forced.
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The film opens with Johnson being summoned to a room full of White male mathematicians at the request of Vaughan’s supervisor (Kirsten Dunst), where he is asked to assist in some literal rocket science. It appears that the calculations have stumped everyone, including Paul Stafford (Jim Parsons), the hotshot whose math Johnson has been hired to double-check for accuracy. In this case, Parsons’ petulance is overplayed to the point of being cartoonishly villainous, but the overall attitude in the room made me shudder with bad memories of my own early career tribulations, which I had forgotten about. It has been my experience to be the only person of color in a hostile work environment, and many of Henson’s delicate acting choices in relation to her body language elicited the eerie sensation of sense memory in me. She maintains her confidence in her work and demonstrates that confidence whenever she is called upon to do so, but Henson manifests on her person every attack on her dignity. You can see her attempting to keep herself in check rather than unleashing Cookie Lyon-style violence on her coworkers.
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Besides having to deal with the unwelcome male guests, Johnson is also forced to deal with the tough, though reasonable, complaints of her grizzled supervisor, Al Harrison (Kevin Costner). Costner would be an excellent choice for this role, and he should consider spending the rest of his career in supporting mentor roles. It’s amusing to see how he and Henson play off each other, and when the film gives him something noble to do, it hides the cliché behind the nostalgic sight of “Bull DurhamCrash “‘s Davis wielding a baseball bat.
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The film follows Johnson as he tries to prevent John Glenn (played charmingly by Glen Powell) from detonating a rocket while Vaughan battles with FORTRAN and Dunst for the right to be a supervisor, while Janelle Monae is secretly walking away with the film. Mary Jackson aspires to be the first African-American engineer at NASA, but, as with Vaughan’s library book, she is hampered by Jim Crow laws and customs. In the end, Jackson takes Monae’s case to court, and the scene in which Monae reacts without saying anything is one of the best scenes of the year. By doing so, she has cemented her reputation as an accomplished actress who is equally at ease in comedic and dramatic situations. Spencer certainly deserves the accolades he’s received, but Monae is the true MVP of the film’s supporting cast, according to the critics.
When I was watching “Hidden Figures,” I imagined how I would have felt if I had seen this film 30 years ago, when I made the decision to pursue a degree in mathematics and computer science. I might have felt more confident in my decision, and I might have had better ideas about how to deal with some of the thorny racial situations that I found myself in had I done so earlier. The strangest thing for me was that I saw more Black programmers in this film than I have in my entire professional life. In this regard, I had few points of reference, and the information technology world reflects that. Even today, when I arrive to fix a problem, some of my customers give me a funny look when I arrive.
Hopefully, “Hidden Figures” will inspire women and people of color (and, hell, men as well) with its gentle assertion that, aside from White men being good at math, there is nothing unusual or odd about people. However, my secret wish is that this heartwarming film will be a huge hit at the box office, which is something I hope will happen. Underneath the film’s excellent acting, upbeat Pharrell score, and uplifting message is a film that is as enthusiastic about mathematics as a superhero film is about its comic book origins. My mathematician’s heart is pleased with how well this turned out. It is deserving of earning as much money as any other planet in the Marvel Universe does. This is one of the year’s best films, if not the best.
For more personality quizzes check this: Get Out Quiz.
