8. Hidden Figures
Before the Moon was within reach, orbiting the Earth was what NASA strived for, and that became possible thanks to the work of so many men and women, including the three primary characters featured in Theordore Melfi’s 2016 drama.
As female mathematicians, Katherine Goble Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughn (Octavia Spencer), and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monae) must deal with sexism from their male superiors and subordinates who assume they’re secretaries, and as African-Americans, they face even more prejudice, including systemic things like having to walk a half mile or more to find a “colored” bathroom on NASA’s campus. Their triumph over these obstacles is inspiring, and the film serves as a wonderful historic document of women whose stories deserved to be more widely known.
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