Hidden Figures

The holidays always bring out the best of the movies and this season is a bonanza. Our favorite holiday movie so far is Hidden Figures. It’s the true story of three brilliant black female friends and their amazing – and unheralded – contributions to the NASA Space Race. Taraji P Henson plays a mathematics genius turned physicist and space scientist whose calculations helped John Glenn orbit the earth and return safely. Octavia Spencer plays a forward-thinking computer programmer who worked on the IBM original, and Janelle Monae’s character fought prejudice to earn a degree in engineering. Most of all, this film shows what life was like in the business/government world in Virginia in the 60’s. Women were treated badly and black women faced unimaginable situations, the least of which was bathrooms labeled White Only. White male superiority prevailed and shameful treatment of everyone else was tolerated. Despite the subject, this film is funny and sweet and romantic – entertaining AND important.