Best Actress in a Supporting Role 2016: Octavia Spencer in Hidden Figures

Octavia Spencer received her second Oscar nomination for her performance as Dorothy Vaughan in Hidden Figures.

Hidden Figures talks about a team of African-American female mathematicians who struggle to make their voices heard in the early years of the US Space Program in NASA. It's in many ways a standard "feel good" movie, but it checks all the needed boxes to be a good example of that: it's consistently engaging and entertaining, it achieves the needed emotional weight in its inspirational moments and balances nicely the main story with the various subplots involving the characters' personal lives. Its biggest strength is in my opinion its very strong ensemble, with Janelle Monàe being the standout with her scene-stealing performance. 

Octavia Spencer was the only member of the ensemble to be singled out for an Oscar nomination for her work, which is kind of expectable but also surprising: expectable because the Academy tends to choose previous Oscar winners/nominees in regards to movies with large ensembles (such as Glenn Close in The Big Chill); surprisingly because out of the three main female roles Dorothy Vaughan is by far the least Oscar-y. Taraji P. Henson, being the lead, has the biggest amount of screen-time and the most emotional role, while Janelle Monàe has the kind of scene-stealing role that allow the actress to show off both comedic and dramatic chops. This leaves Octavia Spencer with a very quiet, unshowy supporting role that could have easily been overshadowed by the other actresses: I didn't have high expectations for this performance, mistakenly thinking that it was going to be a less inspired version of her performance in The Help, but watching the movie I was pleasantly surprised. In fact, Spencer delivers a lovely performance that does not have any big scene but that quietly leaves a lasting, remarkable impression. First off, she creates a beautiful dynamic with Henson and Monàe and the three actresses make each of their scenes together wonderful to watch: their more light-hearted moments are delightful thanks to the actresses' pitch-perfect comedic timing and delivery and on her part Spencer is very entertaining at portraying her character's sense of humor that is sarcastic but not at all acidic; in their more serious moments, the three actresses are great at conveying the deep understanding between Katherine, Dorothy and Mary and their friendship is never in question thanks to the actresses' dedication. The scene in which the three of them dance in the kitchen is a truly beautiful and heartwarming moments because the actresses are so spontaneous and relaxed in their roles.

Dorothy is the least emotionally charged character among the main three, but this does not mean her storyline is less interesting. Her subplot centers around the fact that she is already doing the job of a supervisor without having the official title nor the pay: Spencer does a very good job at portraying Dorothy's bitterness over the lack of appreciation for the tiresome work she does, while also conveying a certain resilience in her behavior as she certainly has no intention to give up trying to get the position she deserves. I particularly like the scenes between Dorothy and her boss Vivian (Kirsten Dunst, effective at portraying her character's casual racism): Spencer is very good in those moments as she perfectly portrays Dorothy as someone who is always carefully thinking about every word she is going to say - she knows Vivian is in a better position that she is and that she can't afford being too direct with her, while still trying to make her opinion heard. In particular, I love the scene in the bathroom in which Vivian tells Dorothy that she does not have anything against black people: Dorothy's reply ("I know you probably believe that") is probably the best line in the movie and Spencer' subtly sharp delivery couldn't be more excellent. But past that there are many other excellent moments in her portrayal, such as her reaction when she finally gets the position of supervisor or her final scene with Dunst, in which the two actresses do a terrific job at showing their mutual respect now that Vivian has finally started to treat her like an equal.

Another subplot takes place after Dorothy finds out about the installation of an electronic computer that could replace the work of her colleagues and therefore teaches hearself and her co-workers how to use the machine in order not to be left out of a job. Spencer effectively portrays the determination that keeps Dorothy going, making this subplot much more compelling than it could have been otherwise. Her performance in the scenes in which she has to prove her self-worth to her male colleagues is subtly fierce and powerful, and she has one particularly great scene in which she is escorted out of a library for white people only: Spencer is great at showing both Dorothy's indignation and dignity but also her unwillingness to get in trouble, and the later moment in which she explains her children the difference between what the law says and what is right is also very memorable. She is not directly involved in the movie's climax (the launch), but she makes the most out of every small reactionary shot.

Overall this is a very strong performance by Octavia Spencer, who takes a potentially thankless role and manages to make it memorable thanks to her dedication and commitment. She delivers a subtle, intelligent portrayal carrying effectively her own subplots and bringing the needed emotional punch to the character while always acting in a very restrained fashion. A very memorable portrayal that works extremely well within the movie's large ensemble while also leaving a remarkable impact on her own.

4/5