Hidden Figures is a film which comes directed by Theodore Melfi who some may know for his recent work on St. Vincent (2014). Hidden Figures stars Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monáe, Kevin Costner, Kirsten Dunst, Jim Parsons and Mahershala Ali. Hidden Figures is a story about three African-American women who worked for NASA during a time when the rights of African-Americans and women were much different to what they are today.
This is one of the films out there at the moment that has attracted quite a lot of award show buzz and is one of the top contenders at this year’s Oscars. Whether or not it will win many awards, I have no idea, La La Land seems to be the favourite in most categories and it’s my personal pick for most awards. But Hidden Figures is in itself a great entry as well.
Viewers will get a film experience filled with high production values, well developed and interesting characters and also a glimpse of life during the early days of NASA in the 1960’s when American life was much different. As a film, Hidden Figures contains themes related to racism at the time and the treatment of coloured people in the workplace and in society. As a film which focuses on the period, there aren’t really many that I can think of which specifically focus on women during the era, although I have seen quite a few films with similar themes, although most with male main characters. The female character focus in Hidden Figures is what I think makes it interesting and also makes it stand out as one of this year’s unique film experiences.
The plot is well written and the film is well directed by Theodore Melfi who was also quite good with his work on St. Vincent, which is also quite enjoyable. Pacing isn’t too slow and things never really become overly dramatic or annoying, there’s some comedy thrown in here and there and also some great dramatic moments. By the time the film ends, I think most in the audience would be quite attached to the characters on screen as they’re well developed, acted and are also quite interesting to watch.
Hidden Figures has a strong cast of great actors and none of them really disappoint at all. I’ve always enjoyed watching Kevin Costner on screen and it was great to see Kirsten Dunst in another film at the cinema. The standout leads are the three main characters and NASA mathematicians Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monáe who were all wonderful. I also really enjoyed the performances from both Mahershala Ali and Jim Parsons
Overall Hidden Figures is a solid entry into this year’s cinema lineup and is a great film to go and see. It’s well directed, well acted and well written. People can learn quite a lot about African-American women working in a time when things were much different, it’s an interesting movie to watch and I’m sure it’s going to be on many people’s lists due to its many award nominations this year.
