Though the cop situation is resolved in an amusing, joyous fashion, “Hidden Figures” never undercuts the fears and oppressions of this era. Her supervisory expertise is also on display when a police officer shows up to investigate. Vaughan’s mechanical skills are highlighted first: Spencer’s legs jut out from underneath her broken down car as she applies the trade taught to her by her father. They are similarly educated, though each has their own skill set the film will explore. Vaughan is no-nonsense, Jackson is a wise ass with impeccable comic timing and Johnson is the clever optimist. The dialogue between the three women establishes their easy rapport with one another, and introduces their personalities. We meet the adult version of Johnson as she’s sitting in Vaughan’s stalled car with her NASA colleague Mary Jackson ( Janelle Monae). The importance of the space race forces them to accept qualified candidates of any stripe, including those society would normally discourage. In an attempt to beat Russia to the moon, NASA has been looking for the nation’s best mathematicians. Her success at obtaining the education she needs is hindered by Jim Crow, but she still manages to earn degrees in math and a job at NASA’s “Colored Computer” division. Henson plays Katherine Johnson, a mathematician who, in the film’s opening flashback, is shown to have a preternatural affinity for math in her youth. Henson that is her finest cinematic moment to date. This running joke culminates in a brilliantly acted, angry speech by Taraji P. For example, to depict the absurdity of segregated bathrooms, Melfi repeats shots of a nervously tapping foot, followed by mile-long runs to the only available bathroom. He knows when to let a visual cue or cut tell the story, building on moments of repetition before paying off with scenes of great power. Co-writer/director Theodore Melfi (adapting Margot Lee Shetterly's book with co-writer Allison Schroeder) has a light touch not often found in dramas like this, which makes the material all the more effective. Vaughan is one of the three real-life African-American women who helped decipher and define the mathematics used during the space race in the 1960s. “Hidden Figures” tells their stories with some of the year’s best writing, directing and acting.
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