And in spite of it being an overall positive experience, I could feel the oppression at certain points – Dorothy at the library just trying to find the right book, but it is in a part of the library to which she cannot gain admittance due to her race. Katherine runs across campus just to find a bathroom that she is allowed to use and never once complaining about it until she is publicly berated about her use of time. Kevin Costner’s character appears to be a generally good person who doesn’t care about race, and yet still never even thought about the difficulty of being forced into a certain bathroom half a mile away.

You don’t need to understand the mathematics to enjoy the film, but I admit, it was fun to hear some concepts I haven’t heard since my college days.

The theater was almost full, with people of all ages. I was particularly happy to see some kids there, as there is much for them to take away from this film.

Twice during the movie the audience broke into applause, and then applauded at the end credits as well. I don’t recall the last time I heard that at a film. And most importantly – I did not see a cell phone light up the whole time – truly a miracle.

We baby boomers remember the intensity of the space program very well, and it’s brought home in “Hidden Figures,” a 2016 film starring Taraji P. Read more