For girls who love science, this is the movie of 2016.
As an enthusiast of all things outer space – both science fiction and science fact – the release of the Hidden Figures trailer filled me with pure, unadulterated glee. As much as I love to see strong female characters like Captain Janeway in science fiction, I am exponentially more thrilled to see the stories of strong, actual women involved in space flight on the silver screen.
Hidden Figures follows the story of a team of African-American women who are brought on by NASA as “computers,” mathematicians and engineers meant to do complex computations to ensure the safety of the launch and landing of space crafts. Being the 1960s, these women are faced with the harsh realities of both racism and sexism both inside of their workplace and outside. They handle everything in stride and become the saviors of the space program, able to solve equations that no one else had been able to solve. It was because of their efforts that astronaut John Glenn was launched into orbit and returned to Earth safely.
The film boasts an incredible ensemble cast that appear from the trailer to have exquisite onscreen chemistry. The amount of raw talent in this one cast is overwhelming, especially when paired with the incredibly interesting and extremely important nature of the film as a whole. Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, and Janelle Monae are the leads, the figureheads of the mathematical whiz team. Supporting roles went to Kevin Costner, Kirsten Dunst, Jim Parsons, and Mahershala Ali.
Even the film’s music appears to be very promising. With a score by veteran composer Hans Zimmer and original music by Pharrell Williams, the music looks to be as promising as the story itself.
This film is incredibly important. To pay homage to the achievements of women in the STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) throughout our history is something that is so rarely done, especially when those women are black, that we should savor every opportunity we are given. Anyone with familiarity with the United States Space Program is aware of John Glenn and his contributions to the Space Race, but the names of Katherine Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughn (Octavia Spencer), and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monae) will fade into obscurity unless we choose to remember them. This film appeals to the feminist in me just as much as the space enthusiast. To support this film is to support role models for young women to pursue STEM education.
From what we can see in the trailer, the film looks so promising. The cast seems to work very well together. The writing is quick-witted and spunky. The writing also maintains the air of inspiration and homage while not backing away from the harsh realities these women faced. Watch this trailer. See this movie when it comes out.
Hidden Figures launches into theaters on January 13, 2017.
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