Hidden Figures

Hidden Figures made me feel super conflicted.

First off, it is a great story to tell. Who ever knew that brilliant african american women were a part of the space race and one of the greatest technological achievements in American history? We need more stories like this. We need to revise our white-washed, testosterone-soaked view of history and start acknowledging the people that were really there making things happen. I was so thrilled to watch this movie with my girls and let them learn about inspirational black women. 

Here's where my conflict begins to come in: I was glad that this film was an easy starter course in racism. My kids could watch this and learn about what it was like but without any of the uglier parts of the fight for civil rights. I feel like they aren't ready for dramatizations of lynchings or beatings or women getting raped. Which of course, they aren't. But also? It's only my own white privilege that allows me to feel icky about some of our very real, very disturbing history (and current events) and then choose to shelter them from too much truth. Some families don't have an option to not deal head-on with racism every day or to hide some of the ugly truth from their precious babies. Some families have to live this crap on a daily basis.

All of that is my own deal. I'm looking at my own privilege, so that's a step in the right direction and what does that have to do with the movie? There was a small underlying feeling to the movie that seemed to say, "THIS is how you beat racism! Not by being angry in the streets, not by militancy or making people uncomfortable but you force change by being good and focused and needed and so super awesome that your rights can no longer be denied." That's a beautiful message but is being NASA's top mathematical mind really an option  available to everyone who wants to make a difference in the fight against racism? This message twinged at me just a bit but I think it is mostly my fear reacting. I think the real message of the film is meant to be that there are countless ways in which racism will prove itself base, unjust and undeniably wrong, and this story shows just one of those paths.

So is this movie a sanitized look at racial inequality? Or is it simply one story in a million? Is it an important film? Yes, I think so? Is it well made? The acting was solid, the story was neat and tidy, it looked good but not stellar. Is it Oscar worthy? I'm not sure. It is competent but not incredibly artistic or challenging or ground breaking. I'm not saying it has to be any of those things to be celebrated, but it does seem to lack a little something extra that I crave for a film to be lauded the best in any category. In the end, the film making in Hidden Figures just wasn't as jaw droppingly impressive as were the women that were featured in its story.