“Contact” (1997): science also has a female voice

Image inspired by Contact (1997): a woman in the foreground, radio dishes in the background — A scientist heroine facing doubt and other people’s gaze.

Analysis

The film Contact portrays a woman scientist facing doubt, loneliness, and the judgment of others. It is an inspiring story that echoes the experience of Nicole-Reine Lepaute.

Directed by Robert Zemeckis, Contact follows Ellie Arroway, a passionate astrophysicist who devotes her life to searching for a signal from outer space.

Despite her intelligence and rigor, Ellie is often ignored or challenged by male colleagues. The film clearly illustrates the Matilda Effect: women’s scientific talent is sometimes minimized or erased.

Like Nicole-Reine Lepaute, Ellie seeks to understand the sky while fighting to be heard. Contact pays tribute to all women in science who kept searching—even when no one believed them.

Contact (1997) trailer

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Films and series about the Matilda Effect

Poster for the film Hidden Figures — **Hidden Figures**
Mathematicians essential to the space race.

Poster for the film Contact — **Contact**
A woman scientist at the center of the story.

Poster for Enola Holmes 2 — **Enola Holmes 2**
Investigation, intelligence, and a heroine.

Poster for the film Radioactive — **Radioactive**
Marie Curie and the weight of recognition.

“Curiosity has no gender.”
— Closing line (Matilda mockup)