Hidden Figures is a period drama and social realism and entails the struggles and conflicts of Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson had to go through whilst they were in working for N.A.S.A in the 1960's. The film was released in 2016 and was directed by Theodor Malfi. The film most certainly represents females and specifically black females in a very positive way. It has the main protagonist, Katherine, battling the hegemony, the white, middle class, high income male defying the stereotypes of a black woman. The themes of the film involve struggle represented in the three woman's journey through N.A.S.A and their common life, racism is represented in the conflicts relating to their skin and sexism represented in disputes correlating to their sex.

A scarily real depiction in what is was like for black Americans has been portrayed in the film. It does not shy away in presenting the actualities of the 1950's. From the characters not being aloud to proceed forwards because of laws covering colored people's grades and jobs. Such as one of the protagonists, Mary, having to go through court to get extra lessons for a job she was denied because of her color but then it also did not hide the miscellaneous tasks which color people had to endure such as different water fountains and even different coffee containers. This display of the reality that the three characters had to endure was to immerse the audience into the film. We the audience members hear about the horrible ordeals that black people had to go through but because it was a long time ago we can not fully comprehend what it was like.


Opening scene displays and creates the main themes covering this film. It has the three protagonists stuck at the side of the road from their car breaking down and a white police officer interrogating the three and then giving them an escort to the N.A.S.A center. The police officer introduces the theme of sexism and racism when confronting the girls about their broken down car. He says the line "I had no idea they hired..." (cut out by Dorothy)  "they have quite a few women working in the space program". This line does not entail racism but whilst watching the scene it is clear that the officer was intending to say something involving the color of their skin. So right from the on go we have the themes thrown at us so we, the audience, can understand what the woman will be enduring through out the film.

In conclusion the film constructs and displays their themes successfully. The film immersed the audience into the world of these three women and made the viewers feel their pain.