Get ready to meet the three most lovable heroines of any dramatic film offering this year. Hidden Figures is an award season hopeful that tells the story of Katherine Johnson, an African American woman and unsung hero during one of the most turbulent times in American history. The film also highlights two other main protagonists: Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson who were also among the first African American women to work at NASA as “human computers” to help launch astronaut, John Glenn, into orbit.
The first few minutes of the movie showing Katherine's family learning that she is a math prodigy, fades from muted colors to brightening ones, just like the three bold women that we get the pleasure of learning about as their stories unfold in this Margot Lee Shetterly adaptation of an important true story about race, the triumph of the human spirit, and the sacrifices made for equality.
As these women climb the ranks at NASA in their unique ways despite overwhelming obstacles ranging from blatant racism, to their own family doubting their ability to make an impact, this timely tale showcases something that our country is desperately lacking right now: a common vision to rally around. The space race was a phenomenon that drew people in, no matter their color or class.
We get a glimpse of the unifying effect of this event in history when we first meet the three women. A white police officer approaches Katherine, Dorothy, and Mary when their car breaks down on the side of the road. What the audience (and the three women) fear will be a confrontation actually becomes a light moment in the film when the police officer learns that they work for NASA, and specifically toward the goal of getting “our boys to space,” and provides them with a police escort so that they won’t be late to work.
Working alongside Paul Stafford (Jim Parsons) and under the supervision of Al Harrison, (Kevin Costner) Katherine, played by the stunning Taraji P. Henson, overshadows her white, male peers as she discovers the formula that will help get John Glenn into space and back to earth safely. We get to witness her fight for equality and at times basic human dignity despite enormous injustice such as having to run all the way across NASA’s campus to use the “colored” restroom, and showing up to work one morning only to find her co-workers have supplied a separate coffee carafe labeled “colored” for her to use. Katherine is a bright spot in an otherwise sad state of affairs, and director, Theodore Melfi, makes sure to remind us of this even in subtle creative decisions like Katherine's bright colored outfits that stick out in a sea of black ties and white shirts.
Meanwhile, her good friend Dorothy (Octavia Spencer who was nominated for an Oscar for her role) is fighting unsuccessfully to become a supervisor in the “colored human computers” department even though she is doing the work of a supervisor. When the advent of the computer as we know it comes onto the scene, Dorothy works feverishly to learn the new machine so as not to become obsolete. When NASA’s own computer technicians aren’t able to perform the simple task of setting up the computer, she teaches herself to install and run the machine, earning herself a promotion and saving her team in the process.
The delightfully sassy character of Mary played by singer and burgeoning actress Janelle Monáe, wages her own war in the film by working to become the first black woman to attend classes in an all-white engineering program, even petitioning the courts for a chance to rise the ranks at NASA as an engineer. These women teach us that the only thing more amazing than the human mind is the human spirit. You can learn more about Katherine, Dorothy, and Mary in this article.
All three of these stories are woven together beautifully with the Civil Rights movement, the fear of Communism, and significant technological advances as a backdrop. This film tells an important (and did I mention TRUE) story that shows that victories won collectively as a nation that even take us into space, are just as important as the small victories won in the lives of individuals that promote and advance equality, justice, and common dignity for all. This movie is incredibly timely and important- touching on topics like race, female friendship, and equality for women, all in a nice family friendly package (and bonus it was co-written by a bad ass female screenwriter and first time Oscar nominee, Allison Schroeder). Go see this. Take your friends, your kids, your cousin, it's really for anyone. You won't be disappointed.
Grief is a strange thing. It sits on the surface of the day-to-day and in the wake of tragedy, the small moments of life are like drops of water, filling up an already full cup - each drop threatening to cause the cup to overflow at any moment. Sometimes it only takes one word, one look, one seemingly insignificant interaction with someone for it to all spill over. Manchester by the Sea gives us a painfully honest glimpse of the effects of grief.
Written and directed by Kenneth Lonergan, this beautifully crafted story follows Lee Chandler, (played by Casey Affleck) a handyman living in Boston who by all appearances at the beginning of the film, leads a mundane life. Dealing with distasteful tenants in an apartment building during the day and drinking and getting into fights at the bar at night, we know Lee is depressed and apathetic, but we don't know why.
The only hint at a better time is revealed in flashbacks. He thinks back to times with his brother and nephew on a fishing boat and relives memories as a husband and father. We're left to wonder why he's estranged from his family and what's happened to cause him to banish himself to a self-inflicted purgatory. The answer doesn’t come until part way through the film as it quickly slips into its genre: tragedy (with a good dose of drama and humor mixed in).
While the story of Lee's past unfolds, he gets a call about his brother’s passing (played by Kyle Chandler). The news isn’t a total shock as he was diagnosed with congenital heart disease a few years before, but Lee’s reaction is notably, though not uncharacteristically subdued. In a film that shows the complex emotions of grieving men, we still get an opportunity to see glimpses of deep caring and sorrow, particularly in Lee’s relationship with his nephew. And that's the beauty of the film. We aren't handed these long drawn-out scenes of weeping and emotional breakdowns. We get a raw portrayal of some of the worst pain and deepest sorrow a person can go through while trying to keep their head above water.
Lee’s life is essentially turned upside down when he finds out that his brother has left his only son in his care and he is forced to face his demons by returning to Manchester to plan his brother’s funeral and attempt to care for his nephew, Patrick (played by Lucas Hedges). Patrick is trying to deal with grief in his own way and their interactions become increasingly layered as they both come to terms with their new reality. Fleeting moments in the film show empathy and caring, but nothing is ever spoken out loud. Somehow the deeply moving performances from the cast make that ok.
The cinematography is stunning (making me want to jump on the next plane to Boston) and everything from the music to the dialogue is beautifully arranged - with breathtaking shots of Manchester and standout performances from Affleck (winning him a Golden Globe and Oscar for best actor) Hedges, (earning him an Oscar nomination) and Michelle Williams as Lee's ex-wife (and yep you guessed it, earning an Oscar nomination herself). The film boasts 6 total Oscar nominations and dozens of other awards.
The accolades are well deserved. It's been a little over a year since my dad died and I don't think there's been any one piece of art whether it be a film, song, poem, or anything like it that has impacted me more than this film as it relates to my own grief journey. This, I believe, is what makes a film a truly great piece of art. I felt like my own experience of grief was reflected in the characters onscreen. If you haven't seen this film yet, make some time to watch it and keep your tissues handy.
It's been a while since I've sat down to write for pleasure, so I'm reacquainting myself with the process. I'm also shifting gears a bit and focusing on some specific topics on the blog (SPOILER I'm going to write primarily about film and television). Check out my About Me page to learn more.
With that being said, I have been on a mission these last few months to watch as many Oscar nominated films as possible before the big ceremony. And boy let me tell you, it is a commitment. A friend of mine once told me "The Oscars are my Superbowl." And I haven't been able to get that out of my head ever since I took on the task of trying to watch all of these movies and documentaries!
But after religiously reading all of the predictions, tracking other award shows, going to movies, (mostly by myself because not many people are as weird as I am, or have the time for that matter) and writing about them, I think I'm ready to share some thoughts. The Oscars are 10 days away and all I keep thinking is, "This is it." "This is what you've been training for!"
No matter your view on awards ceremonies in general, and the Oscars in particular, there is usually something for everyone in the best picture lineup, so I am going to count down the next week and a half with my personal favorites (and why). I'll be sharing my predictions and even if I totally bomb and don't get a single guess right there's at least one good thing that came from this experience: going to a movie by yourself with a tub of popcorn in one arm and a cherry Icee in the other is not a bad way to spend an afternoon.
I have a ton of other updates to share about my life in general, and especially 2016, (which was the year from hell for me and my family) but for now you'll have to endure my ramblings about how La La Land is not the best film this year, (that's right I said it!) and how Casey Affleck's performance in Manchester by the Sea was all together depressing and how that's a good thing. So stay tuned!
Here's a picture of my dog Max when he was a puppy just to keep you somewhat engaged. Hopefully you'll come back. If you don't do it for me, do it for him. There's just too much cuteness here not to share it with the world.
