"Every time we get a chance to get ahead they move the finish line." - Mary Jackson, Hidden Figures

Hallooooo!!

If you'd like to see a feel good film without having to watch the classic romcom formula, I highly recommend Hidden Figures.

I saw it a couple of weeks ago and oh my, I loved it. I can imagine that for someone who has been tought the history of slavery and the after math in the USA, some of the dialogue might be a slap in the face. But as for someone who has learned about slavery only to an extend, some of the lines were a shock/surprise to me. These things happened a only bit over 50 years ago...

2016
Director: Theodore Melfi
Cast: Taraji Henson, Janelle Monae, Octavia Spencer, Kevin Costner, Kirsten Dunst, Jim Parsons,...
Length: 2h 7min
Genre: Drama, biography, history
8/10

Based on true events, this movie is a true women impowerment film and yes, men should see it too. The main character and her two smart ass friends try to work their way up within NASA. As women of colour, that road is a very bumpy one. People of colour couldn't use the same bathrooms, cafeteria's or coffee pot as the white people. This is something the movie truely depicts and had me disgusted. That something like that was still possible just 50 years ago.

Katherine is a wizard with numbers. She is part of the coloured computers at NASA before she gets promoted. At her new station, she is the only person of colour and female. Her friends Mary and Dorothy, computers as well, each try to work their way up within NASA too. The quote "Every time we get a chance to get ahead they move the finish line." sums up the movie pretty much. Every time they get a chance to get a promotion, to get ahead, to improve, new rules and regulations appear which holds them back. This story shows how they beated protocol and became 'the first': the first coloured supervisor, the first coloured computer who directly helped calculating the trip to the moon and the first coloured engineer.

Rather than showing them as some unhuman super intelligent 'computers', we also get to see their family lives. Their husbands, children, friends, etc. They have their day-to-day lives whilst trying to break the glass ceiling without violence. 

The acting and cast are superb. The script is witty and has heartfelt moments with plenty of chuckle out loud moments and 'oh no, he just said WHAT?' reactions. Score takes you to the next level. I ended up truelly rooting for these ladies and the mile stones they managed to achieve. Absolutely inspiring.

It is however still a Hollywood film, so be prepared to see the brushed off version of the true story. But Mary Jackson, Dorothy Vaughan and Katerine Johnson are very real ladies and their achievements are tangible still today.

This one is definitely on my 'to recommend' list :)

Thanks for reading!
xo - Sara