Hidden Truth

Do we really believe that the stories we see on the big screen are true to the historical accounts, or are we just believing a constructed illusion? In any kind of media or movies, there lies a thin line between accuracy and creative liberty in showing events from history. Sometimes some scenes are exaggerated or completely false to either make a point or just for entertainment purposes. Many directors and film writers love to jumble around with factual historic information and facts just to make their movie more entertaining. This disadvantage of creative liberty was shown very neatly in the movie “Hidden Figures”. This movie was a cinematic tribute to the women behind the successful infiltration of NASA into the space race, perfectly reflecting this dichotomy. The film blends fact and fiction to champion the achievements of black women in the racially segregated era of NASA, yet this empowerment is marred by inaccurate and melodramatic depictions. While acknowledging the ethical implications of distorting historical events, it prompts reflection on the broader impact of media portrayals on our understanding of gender, race, and societal advancement. The movie “Hidden Figures” uses fabricated and exaggerated scenes to promote women’s empowerment and discuss segregation before and after 1985, which can show women, especially black women, in a positive light but at the cost of historical inaccuracy. Therefore, filmmakers should be more responsible in making historical movies because exploiting black women for profit is disturbing. 

Filmmakers constantly confront the difficult task of striking a balance between artistic expression and historical truth while depicting actual events on screen. Filmmakers aim to entertain, engage, and occasionally evoke emotions or reactions from their viewers, while frequently anticipating a certain level of faithfulness to the facts. The movie “Hidden Figures” shows this very clearly. This movie was praised for honoring the unsung heroes of the space race: the African-American female NASA mathematician Katherine Goble Johnson, the mathematician, computer programer and NASA’s first black manager, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson, NASA’s first black female engineer. The New Yorker writes “The basic virtue of “Hidden Figures.” … is to proclaim with a clarion vibrancy that, were it not for the devoted, unique, and indispensable efforts of three black women scientists, the United States might not have successfully sent people into space or to the moon and back.” (Brody) Although the film does a good job of highlighting the challenges and triumphs of these extraordinary women, in order to strengthen the story and emphasize its message, it makes historical factual errors. For example, the movie shows the main characters overcoming a lot of challenges in their pursuit of equality and respect, both personally and professionally. Some of the events in the movie are fabricated or added for dramatic effect, and some did not even happen in real life, even if these difficulties undoubtedly represent the larger experiences of women of color during that time. These historical inaccuracies are so intense that even the women who this movie was based on, felt disrespected.  

For the purpose of clarity and speed, “Hidden Figures” also simplifies complicated events and shortens timelines, leaving out or eliminating some facts. Although these artistic decisions could further the film’s narrative objectives, they also call into question the responsibility placed on filmmakers when portraying real individuals and events. Even though artistic expression has the capacity to arouse strong emotions and give historical tales new life, it also runs the risk of warping the facts and sustaining falsehoods. Viewers are prompted to critically assess how historical narrative strikes a balance between realism and artistic license in the case of “Hidden Figures”as the movie’s depiction of some events may deviate from historical reality. This tension makes us reevaluate our standards for authenticity and accuracy in historical film depictions by highlighting the difficulties involved in presenting real-life people and events on screen. As viewers, we are left to navigate the blurred lines between fact and fiction, grappling with the tension between the need for accuracy and the desire for creative expression in historical storytelling. Not just large scenes but filmmakers got the entire timeline of this movie wrong. WatchMoJo writes “But the creators of the film condensed many years of history into quite a short timeline. The film kicks off in 1961 and takes place over the following two years. But in reality, Mary Jackson became the first black female engineer at NASA in 1958 and Dorothy Vaughan made history by becoming a supervisor more than a decade earlier, in 1949.” (Sher) Filmmakers fabricated a whole timeline, just so that they can create some senses that showcase women empowerment. Elements and plot points like, the segregated bathroom scenes and forming a team of black women all serve to make struggles seem harder than they were, which is potentially disrespectful towards the actual women who went through them showing an exploitation of black women, which is disturbing since filmmakers are only doing it for profit. 

The representation of racial dynamics in the United States during the 1960s is a prominent theme in “Hidden Figures,” which emphasizes the challenges experienced by black women in STEM areas. The movie shows the widespread institutionalized discrimination and segregation that characterized this era of American culture. When we dive into the specifics and dissect some false scenes we will be able to see how blurred the lines of factual and fabricated information can get. The movie focuses heavily on normalized segregation. A scene in the movie (0:23:33) shows Katherine Johnson traveling half a mile to use the only coloured bathroom available in NASA since there were none by her office. Every time she returns after using the bathroom she gets yelled at by her supervisors because no one realizes that there are no bathrooms nearby for her to use. This scene underscores the normalized segregation endured by black individuals, particularly women, in their everyday lives. However, it’s essential to note that while this scene is emotionally resonant, it is completely untrue. In reality, Katherine Johnson and others often disregarded segregated bathroom signs and used facilities nearby, without facing the dramatic confrontations depicted in the film. By fabricating this scene, the filmmakers unintentionally support a false narrative that exaggerates the racial injustices experienced by black people in this era by creating this scene. The author of Gulf Coast Commentary writes “And the racism that these heroines supposedly had to battle was largely fabricated. How do I know?  Because no one would even think that Katherine Johnson was black at all. … The “racist white” aspect was mostly made-up for the movie to fit the “narrative” in order to vilify white people in general.” (Doug) Katherine Johnson did not look black at all in fact she had fair skin, dressed and did her like any other white woman. She was often mistaken for being white than she was for being a black janitor at NASA. If the creators showed Katherine as her true self rather than showing her as someone she was not, it would’ve been a stronger story and resonated with a much larger audience in terms of diversity. This misinterpretation risks oversimplifying the nuances of racial discrimination and the tactics used by oppressed people to pass over such repressive systems, in addition to distorting historical facts. This stereotypes black women more. Furthermore, by straying from reality, the movie damages its credibility as a historical account and feeds negative preconceptions about black women’s experiences in STEM divisions. Therefore, the fact that “Hidden Figures” aims to draw attention to the issues surrounding racial discrimination, its dependency on fabricated scenes ultimately compromises its ability to truthfully portray the struggles and triumphs of the female characters who worked at NASA and black women as a whole. 

Additionally, the portrayal of Al Harrison’s passionate response (01:03:29) to Katherine Johnson’s troubling revelation about traveling half a mile to use the segregated bathroom facilities at NASA  spending about 30 minutes to an hour of her work day and getting yelled at everytime she comes back is another example of a fabricated scene that distorts historical accuracy. The film depicts Harrison, the head of the space race task, personally dismantling segregated bathroom signs in a symbolic gesture of defiance against racial discrimination. However, this scene is entirely fictional and misrepresents the actions of real-life individuals at NASA during that time. This had never happened in real life. While the intention behind such scenes may be to underscore the moral outrage against segregation and champion the fight for racial equality, the use of fictionalized events risks oversimplifying the complex realities of systemic racism. By portraying Harrison’s actions in this manner, the film creates a narrative of heroic resistance that may not align with historical truth. The usage of such a fabricated scene has the risk of oversimplifying the complicated realities of systematic racism, even when the goal behind such a scene may be to highlight the moral outrage against segregation and advocate the battle for racial equality. The way Harrison’s acts are portrayed in the movie may not be consistent with historical reality, this gives viewers a false narrative to judge Harrison based on. Thinking that at least there was someone at NASA that raised their voice for these black women, when in reality no one did. Katherine Johnson herself stated how she felt these added scenes did not happen in real life and do not show true empowerment.“What I don’t understand is why these circumstances could not have been shown in the manner that they existed. Katherine Johnson stated in retrospective interviews that she ‘didn’t feel any segregation’ at NASA and was treated ‘as a peer’ by her white colleagues.”(Keeper) Katherine Johnson’s perspective sheds light on the importance of authenticity in portraying historical events, highlighting the need for accuracy in depicting the challenges faced by women of color in STEM fields. “Hidden Figures” runs the risk of losing its credibility as an accurate portrayal of the challenges faced by Black women in STEM by adding dramatic storytelling instead of factual accuracy. Because of this, it is crucial to evaluate the authenticity  of these scenes in the context of historical data.

In another fabricated scene, (01:27:52) all the black women at NASA unite as a team, leveraging their individual skills and advantages to support one another. They face hardships regarding work or segregation together, celebrating their victories as a collective. However, this portrayal of women’s solidarity within NASA is purely fictional, included to emphasize the theme of women empowerment. The author of Blogs at Baruch writes“The three ladies were best friends, and the timeline was set in 1961 in the movie, which was the complete opposite of history. … Katherine Johnson … joined the NACA, or National Advisory Committee of Aeronautics in 1953. … NACA’s Langley laboratory, which at the time, was run by Dorothy Vaughan. …Mary Jackson started her job in Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory’s segregated West Area Computing unit in 1951.” (ThadarPhyu) This overlap of timeline was unnecessary if the creators showed the women’s individual stories’ that would create a stronger sense of empowerment. Portraying fictional scenes of unity and support among black women at NASA, when in reality such solidarity did not occur, can be disturbing because it distorts historical truth. All these women did not even work in NASA at the same time, this was a big mistake from the creators; the timeline mixup. The creators could have shown all these women’s stories separately as well instead of combining them and that would be true empowerment, showing real struggles. By fabricating these scenarios, the movie creates a misleading narrative of empowerment that may overshadow the real struggles and achievements of black women in the space program. It diminishes the importance of accurately representing historical events and the challenges faced by minority groups. Additionally, it risks perpetuating stereotypes or simplifying complex issues by presenting a sanitized version of history.

Filmmakers should be more responsible in making historical movies because exploiting black women for profit is disturbing, that too at the cost of historical inaccuracy. “Hidden Figures.” had a great emotional response from audiences, partly because it was “based on a real story”. Real struggles that these women went through, but when the biggest scenes are the most fabricated ones it shows the intentions of filmmakers only making the movie for their own profit. The fabricated segregated bathroom scene from this movie just went viral on TikTok again, which really shows us the emotional impact this movie had on viewers. The fact that filmmakers made struggles seem harder than they were, was potentially disrespectful towards the actual women who have been through so many struggles on their own. Filmmakers know that the narrative of heroic resistance created a more profitable movie for them because audiences want to see the heroes winning and overcoming the obstacles. Just in this case the obstacles were really fabricated which took away from the authenticity of the actual struggles these black women in NASA went through. They know that people are less inclined to see a less climactic or maybe even a less hopeful movie too. The scene where AI Harrison destroys the segregated bathrooms really makes it seem like NASA was beginning to take a step towards inclusivity and after AI Harrison’s response NASA would continue to be more inclusive as the years go by. This was a sneaky tactic by filmmakers to whitewash NASA’s image because in reality NASA till this day is not as inclusive “NASA has less than 1% of black people in their teams and 61% white people in their teams… 67% of those are men and only 25% are women.” (“NASA Researcher Demographics”). The AI Harrison scene hides this ongoing inequality in NASA. By simplifying history, the film misses the real struggles faced by black women in STEM fields. It’s a reminder that movies often simplify complex issues for a better story, but it’s important to remember the truth behind the scenes to know the real story behind the reel one.

In “Hidden Figures,” the portrayal of historical events blurs the lines between fact and fiction, showcasing disrespect for those who this movie was based on and using blackwomen for profit. Made-up scenes like the segregated bathroom incident and AI Harrison’s bold response oversimplify the complexities of systemic racism. The film struck a chord with audiences emotionally, and oversimplified real-life challenges. Moreover, the movie’s focus Con heroic resistance overlooks the ongoing inequality faced by black individuals, including the lack of representation at NASA. The filmmakers’ decision to prioritize entertainment over historical accuracy undermines the accuracy of the story and detracts from the real experiences of black women in STEM fields. By whitewashing history, the film misses an opportunity to prompt meaningful change and perpetuates a sanitized version of reality. Moving forward, it’s crucial that historical movies aim for authenticity to accurately reflect the struggles and triumphs of minorities, challenging viewers to confront uncomfortable truths and forcing large institutions, companies and America as a whole to make changes rather than perpetuating false narratives and whitewashing images. Only then can we truly honor the resilience and contributions of those who have been marginalized throughout history.

Works Cited  

Brody, Richard. “‘Hidden Figures’ Is a Subtle and Powerful Work of Counter-History.” The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2016, www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/hidden-figures-is-a-subtle-and-powerful-work-of-counter-history. Accessed 4 Apr. 2024. 

Doug. “The Movie ‘Hidden Figures’ Is Fake History.” Gulf Coast Commentary, 5 June 2017, gulfcoastcommentary.blogspot.com/2017/06/the-movie-hidden-figures-is-fake-history.html. Accessed 4 Apr. 2024. 

Keeper, Trove. “Hidden Figures: Does Historical Accuracy Matter?” Cinema Trove, Cinema Trove, 21 Oct. 2020, www.cinematrove.com/post/hidden-figures-does-historical-accuracy-matter. Accessed 4 Apr. 2024. 

Lima, Leo Noboru. “How Accurate Is Hidden Figures?” Looper.com, 11 Aug. 2021, www.looper.com/485561/how-accurate-is-hidden-figures/. Accessed 4 Apr. 2024. 

Researcher-Demographics-2023-Report. …, www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/researcher-demographics-2023-report.pdf.  Accessed 4 Apr. 2024.  

Sher, Savannah. “Top 10 Things Hidden Figures Got Factually Right & Wrong.” www.watchmojo.com/articles/top-10-things-hidden-figures-got-factually-right-wrong.

Accessed 4 Apr. 2024.