Of course, there can only be one answer to this question: Yes! Everyone has known so many milestones in Western history since childhood. But if you dig deeper and look at the details more closely, human fates and experiences often reveal themselves so much more gripping are than we could have guessed.
One of these stories, known worldwide but rarely told in its entirety, is that of the US conquest of space. Stand behind the familiar names and faces unsung heroines. But Hidden Figures – Unrecognized Heroines gives them a stage and tells about their lives. You can now stream the Oscar-nominated historical drama on Amazon Prime Video.
Hidden Figures examines the lives of three women, without whom the space race would have looked different
In the middle of the 20th century, the world is divided in two. The Cold War divides the hardened fronts in East and West. The USA and the Soviet Union are engaged in a dizzying arms race. Every new scientific achievement represents a victory in this shadow war. In the 50s and 60s it was primarily about one milestone: space.
American scientists and mathematicians are working like crazy – to the outside world the men are presented as the hope of the nation – on a possibility to send the first human into space. However, what no one knows or suspects is that the team behind the Space Race also consists of women.
What is even more unknown to the general population is that some of them are African-Americans, without whose expertise NASA would fall massively behind. Three of these women are mathematicians Katherine Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe) and Dorothy Vaughn (Octavia Spencer). They fight at the same time for their country and against repressionthat they experience every day from this very country.
The drama on Amazon Prime shows an often hidden side of American history
In a way that is as humane as it is gripping, Hidden Figures tells of a time that serves as a memorial for the future of the Western world. The emancipation of the three main characters – all real women – is told absolutely skilfully and fascinatingly.
The film remains pleasantly calm and factual. Nobody has to fear an over-the-top melodrama here. Rather, the eponymous characters are allowed to speak for themselves. In the truest sense of the word, because they actively have their say as a central perspective, are allowed to denounce and stand up for themselves.
All of this works best through the ingenious, emotional and self-confident work of the three main actors. They are fully aware of the significance of their roles as representations of real heroines and real stories. And they lay an incredible amount of heart, charisma and dedication into her acting. It makes it clear every minute how we can and must fight for change in the world.
You can now watch the fascinating true story of the Hidden Figures with a streaming subscription on Amazon Prime Video and Disney+.
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