Cecil says: At last an uplifting film, after we had unwittingly been to a whole series of gloomy or depressing films so far this year. Everyone knows the plot by now, I’m sure: brainy black women get jobs at Nasa in the early 1960s, as the US tries to catch up with the Soviets in the space race.
But Nasa in 1961 is still very male and very white, making
for tough day-to-day life for our three heroines. There’s the ten minute dash
to the nearest ‘colored women’ toilets; there’s the coffee pot for ‘coloreds’;
there’s the supervisor role without supervisor pay.
But Hidden Figures follows in the footsteps of Dead Poets
Society or Good Will Hunting (except that it is now the brilliant minds of
black women that have to be nurtured and recognised rather than white males,
privileged or not). And then it suddenly becomes a little bit Hollywood
formulaic…
It got me and Bea discussing on the way home, not about
civil rights and opportunity (we’ve discussed that at length before) but about
potential and whether you need actually to fulfil your potential to be happy in
life. All these films are about the downtrodden or suppressed coming to life
and being true to themselves and blossoming.
But what if you have all that knowledge and ability, but
actually don’t wish to use it; or have some experience of using and decide
enough is enough? Wouldn’t it be interesting if one of these genius characters
one day decided that after a few years of being a genius and getting
recognition, they could also tap into other skills or other aspects of their
character.
Are they wrong to abandon a road so clearly marked out,
where their skills are being used to the full? Or are they in fact just
rounding their personality and experiencing everything that life has to offer,
even if that means abandoning an apparently successful career.
I basically did that five years ago and am much happier.
Though when I watch films like Hidden Figures, it does make me wonder if I am
using my skills to the best of my abilities.
Bea is also approaching a similar crossroads in life. So,
strangely enough this film was a good launchpoint for a very contemporary
dilemma and questioning of life direction for both of us. Even though it was a
half fiction, half true story of discrimination in the 1960s. Sometimes, you
have to let the subject take you where it needs to.
I wonder if any other
couple had such a thought-provoking talk about their own lives after seeing
Hidden Figures?
Bea says: I very much enjoyed this film (and its fantastic
costumes!). I am an avid Woman’s Hour listener, so had some
background into the licence taken with the plot and event timeline in the film,
but that kind of thing doesn’t really worry me as I am quite happy with
slightly fictionalised accounts of true to life events.
It was a great film about civil and women’s rights together
(I consider myself well up on these issues but had not known of the important
role black women had played at NASA in the late 1950s/early 1960s at all), and
again a good film for our times.
Not much to pick on here; Kevin Costner breaking down the
“no coloreds” sign to the women’s toilet was perhaps a bit contrived (one area
where licence was taken with the plot, apparently). Like Cecil, the most interesting thing for us
was our conversation afterwards about using/not using talent…
Highly recommended – and feel-good!
***1/2
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