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FEBRUARY 1-7, 2017 UCW 23 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Hidden Figures (127 minutes) is not a documentary. This is important to remember because it is not only based on the lives of three real American heroes, it is also based on a bunch of made-up composites of people, and many of the events that took place in the film did not take place in real life. While most biopics take some liberty with the truth, and some biopics take a lot of liberty with the truth, this one falls somewhere in between. I think someone once said, when the truth becomes legend, print the legend, and there may be a little bit of that going on here. Of course, that didn't detract from the experience because most of the best parts were real, whether or not they actually occurred to the three women exactly as depicted. In the sixties, the men were mad, and smart working women were safely hidden in basements. Mathematician Katherine Goble (Tariji P. Henson) and her colleagues Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe) are struggling with various aspects of being black women in the U.S. after Brown v. Board but before the long, hot summer of 1967. Dorothy is performing the work of a supervisor for the pay of a worker, Mary is an aspiring engineer kept from advancing in her chosen profession by the limitations of segregation, and Katherine is a math genius like the kid from Good Will Hunting, unappreciated by the men in suits who surround her. Following Russia's successful launch of Sputnik, the director of America's space program, Al Harrison (Kevin Costner) redoubles the efforts of his team to put a man into space. This involves finding someone who specializes in analytical geometry, and Katherine fits the bill. I can imagine the difficulties the average woman faced when entering the workforce in the sixties, and I can imagine that working in a traditionally male-dominated STEM field was in some ways even worse. To add to that the pressure of being black … well, I can imagine it was pretty rotten. But I don't pretend that I can truly understand just how rotten it was from my position here in 2017. For example, in one of the most poignant scenes in the film, Katherine must find a restroom — but for a black woman in segregated America, that often meant walking quite a bit. For Katherine, it meant a half mile hike (in heels and a skirt, no less) every time she wanted to go to the loo. The scene goes on just long enough to reinforce the urgency of her situation — after all, when you gotta go, you gotta go — and was repeated just often enough that when Katherine finally defends her frequent long absences to the director it felt triumphant. By the way, the book does not indicate that Katherine had to cross the campus to find a bathroom. This is a case of the movie narrative demonstrating certain overall truths rather than conforming strictly to events that actually occurred. And I think that's okay. Meanwhile, Dorothy is having her own quiet battle with a higher-up, Vivian (Kirsten Dunst). Demonstrating both common sense and ingenuity, Dorothy understands the introduction of the IBM computer is about to make a whole lotta jobs obsolete. She decides that hers is not going to be one of them—and promptly teaches herself and her work group basic computer language. It's pretty awesome. The Mary Jackson subplot should have been the most interesting, dealing with how slowly the education system changed after Brown v. Board, but I found myself wishing her story was tied closer to the main plot. Overall, this movie made me feel good. I don't think that was an accident. There was close attention to tone here, and it paid off. Now showing at Patriot 14 + IMAX. The Right Stuff Hidden Figures (Rated PG-13) by HEATHER GRIFFITHS HEATHER GRIFFITHS, Contributing Writer. COMMENTS? Editor@ upandcomingweekly.com. 910 484-6200. Expires 4/30/17 WITH THIS COUPON $i. 50 Drinks. $i. 50 Drinks. $i. 50 Drinks. $2.00 before 6:00 p.m. $3.00 after 6:00 p.m. $1.00 extra for 3D MOVIES Movie Monday: $1.50 All Day(Holiday or 3D movies excluded) Buy one get one free! Buy one get one free!