Hidden Figures timely in an unexpected way
Oscar-nominated film based on true story of black women working at NASA in 1960s
As the mad tweeter with the powder keg disposition settles into his new role as president of the United States, the legacy of his more inclusive predecessor, Barack Obama, has ironically reached full flower.
Pop music was the first to bite, with politically astute icons such as Beyoncé, followed by TV, where culturally connected sitcoms such as Black-ish brought diverse voices into the mainstream.
After years of false starts, Hollywood is now climbing on board as well, with movies such as Moonlight, Loving, Fences and, most of all, Hidden Figures.
It’s the latter that is the buzz film of the moment, a based-on-real-life story of black female math nerds who confront casual racism while working at NASA during the Kennedy-era space race.
In a maelstrom of kid flicks and superhero blockbusters, you might think a movie like this would be relegated to the art house circuit or, perhaps, Netflix. But there it is at your local multiplex, defying the odds, beating out the latest Star Wars instalment at the box office: two weeks in a row.
Sure, it’s January, a notoriously dead market for film releases and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is on the downside of its popularity swing.
But the optics are incontestable: a historical docudrama about three African-American women — no superheroes, no special effects — has gained traction with both critics (74 per cent on Metacritic) and mainstream audiences (a rare A+ CinemaScore).
This “underdog-triumphs-over-adversity” shtick is hardly original; the racism of early ’60s America has, in typical Hollywood fashion, been soft-pedalled; and the film’s fudging of historical fine points may prove troublesome now that it’s been nominated for three Oscars: Best Picture, Adapted Screenplay and Supporting Actress (Octavia Spencer).
But in its competent, inspiring dramatization of a chapter in history most people had no idea existed, the accolades are well deserved. And as we embark on what promises to be a divisive era in U.S. politics, the film seems timely in a way its filmmakers may not have envisioned.
It provides an inspiring story of underdogs triumphing over adversity when it’s needed most Liberal elites kicked to the political trenches need films like this to restore their faith as America embraces a swaggering blowhard who curries favour with white supremacists and calls civil rights activists such as John Lewis “all talk, no action.”
Despite the mouthy billionaire’s campaign to “Make America Great Again” — code for “Bring back the ’50s!” — social politics have shifted so radically that when you watch these films, they feel righteous, almost rev- olutionary.
It redresses a historical oversight, elevating one character to the status of folk hero Katherine Johnson, who plots the trajectory of John Glenn’s historic 1962 orbit around the Earth, is the only one the famed astronaut trusts to confirm the computations before he agrees to set foot in the rocket. It’s worth noting that after 55 years of being ignored, 98-year-old Johnson is enjoying a moment of her own.
Not only is she the centrepiece of Hidden Figures and the book on which it’s based, she also cropped up in an episode of TV’s Timeless, where she used her prodigious math skills to save Apollo 11 astronauts stranded on the moon.
It dovetails with memories of the U.S. space race Of the 30 astronauts originally recruited by NASA, more than half have died, with the rest in their 80s. With the recent deaths of Glenn and Apollo 17 commander Eugene Cernan — the last man to walk on the moon — there’s a feeling this magical time in U.S. history will soon be little more than a memory.
Movies like this form a touching epitaph to a storied chapter in U.S. history that may never be repeated.
It’s perfectly positioned for Oscar love The academy stumbled badly the past two years, despite a plethora of critically hailed performances. That will likely change this year, with Hidden Figures’ having scored key nominations Tuesday. Having said all this, if you’re expecting authenticity, forget it. When the three black women are accosted in their broken down Chevrolet by a racist white cop, the swaggering redneck seems set on some prime humiliation until, swayed by their plucky exuberance, he escorts them, sirens blaring, to NASA so they can continue their work foiling the Pinkos.
I bet they’re still laughing about that one over at the NAACP Not that the ugly spectre of racism is avoided. In a society where imperialistic white men run the show while “coloured computers” toil in the basement, the idea of sharing a coffee maker with someone outside their own race, let alone a woman, is enough to make them cringe in horror. Thank goodness for Kevin Costner, who — informed Johnson is missing valuable work time running a half mile to the coloured bathroom — takes a sledgehammer to segregation, literally. “Here at NASA, we all pee the same colour!” he grumbles.
It’s all very Hollywood: inspirational, simplistic, morally righteous. But as an empowering history lesson that nudges the envelope without spooking audiences, it’s a masterwork. Joel Rubinoff writes for the Waterloo Region Record. Email him at jrubinoff@therecord.com.