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Film: Hidden Figures

Better than The Help. I suppose I am participating in a similar style of categorization as the folks who made the Hidden Fences gaffe. Although, I wouldn't have confused Hidden Figures with Moonlight or Fences, as these films share much different creative ambitions. I think the Help is a much more appropriate comparison as they both explore the African American experience historically, from the point of view of the neglected females, and both do so using melodramatic, Hollywood style-story telling. Fences is more of a character study. Moonlight falls into indy-film tropes and is a bit more cinematically ambitious, although it does borrow some melodramatic storytelling elements.

What most impressed me about Hidden Figures is the light touch of the filmmakers with respect to how the main characters reacted to racial situations. It felt more human and real. In fact, my least favorite part of the film was Taraji's big shaming speech to her colleagues. It felt out of place in the movie, but I'm sure joe-average audience for the film liked it.