Katherine G. Johnson (Taraji P. Henson) worked out the equations that plotted the trajectories of spacecraft; Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) managed the “coloured computers” team and became the first black supervisor at Nasa; and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monae) was an aerospace engineer. Although the trio’s work was recognised by Nasa, their achievements are not generally known by the public.

Johnson is the main focus here, and director Theodore Melfi depicts her having to run to another building to use the toilet when she was transferred to an all-white work team – there was no toilet designated for black women in that block. Such discrimination affects all the women, who try to improve the situation incrementally by quietly standing up to their white superiors and requesting, rather than demanding, change.

Despite its serious theme and historical focus, Hidden Figures is a feel-good film at heart. It seeks to inspire rather than to criticise, and it takes liberties with the facts – in interviews, for instance, Johnson has said she was quickly accepted by her white colleagues. Still, this is a significant film in that it shows how, in such an environment, racism extends into every area of daily life.

Hidden Figures opens on February 2

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