Written and directed by Tyler Perry, Netflix‘s latest war drama does something that other movies of the same genre often overlook, making it a must-see film. Set during World War II, Six Triple Eight tells the true story of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion — hence the film’s name. While Perry is most well-known for directing, writing, and starring in comedy films, like the Madea movies, the multi-hypenate has recently tackled other genres. For example, Perry directed Acrimony, a psychological thriller starring Taraji P. Henson, and a drama called A Jazzman’s Blues.
Even Tyler Perry’s first Netflix collaboration, A Fall from Grace, is rooted firmly in the thriller genre, while his second streamer-exclusive movie, the upcoming Mea Culpa, is a legal thriller. There’s no denying that Perry’s massive Netflix deal has afforded him the opportunity to genre hop, but Six Triple Eight is more than just the writer-director’s first-ever stab at a historical war drama. With big-name stars like Kerry Washington and Oprah Winfrey leading the film, Six Triple Eight is primed to shed light on a crucial-but-overlooked chapter in World War II history.
Six Triple Eight Will Tell A Story About Women In World War 2, Who Are Often Overlooked
As such a pivotal time period in world history, World War II is depicted in countless films, from Dunkirk and The Thin Red Line to Saving Private Ryan and Letters from Iwo Jima. Even two of the Oscars’ 2024 Best Picture nominees, Oppenheimer and The Zone of Interest, chronicle World War II-centered stories. Understandably, many World War II movies are set against battlefield backdrops. In turn, those films’ characters are generally the soldiers fighting in those conflicts. Even films that mine other topics, like The Imitation Game or Schindler’s List, still center on white men.
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Little time has been spent bringing the stories of World War II’s women to life. Aside from the sports history movie A League of Their Own, an unconventional wartime picture, most war films relegate women to supporting character roles. Thankfully, Six Triple Eight tackles that criticism head-on by centering on the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion — an all-Black and all-women battalion that was part of the Women’s Army Corps (WAC) during World War II. Organized into five companies, the 855 women of the 6888th handled a backlog of mail that totaled 17 million items (via The Guardian).
The True Story Behind Netflix’s Six Triple Eight Movie
Based on Kevin M. Hymel’s 2019 WWII History magazine article entitled “WAC Corporal Lena Derriecott and the 6888th Central Postal Battalion,” Six Triple Eight brings much-needed visibility to the little-known group. By 1944, civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune succeeded in pressuring the U.S. Army to find a meaningful role for Black women during the war effort. The only predominantly all-Black U.S. WAC unit sent overseas to serve during the war, the 6888th was a self-sufficient battalion made up of postal workers, cooks, and mechanics.
Under the leadership of Major Charity Adams (Kerry Washington), the battalion worked 24/7 to process and deliver mail. Not only were the women of the 6888th facing a seemingly insurmountable backlog, but they needed to devise a means of identifying the items’ recipients, who were often referred to by nicknames (via Smithsonian Magazine). Major Charity Adams and her unit took the battalion motto seriously — “No mail, low morale“ — and finished the task at hand in just three months. While the 6888th went largely unacknowledged for some time, they finally received a Congressional Gold Medal in 2022.
Other Women-Led War Movies To Watch Before Six Triple Eight
Even outside of World War II-era dramas, there are very few women-led war films, so Six Triple Eight will be a welcome addition to the genre at large. Still, there are a handful of must-watch realistic war movies that center on women and their experiences. Films like Carve Her Name with Pride and the Cate Blanchett-led Charlotte Gray see women drawn into World War II espionage and reconnaissance, while biographical movies like Wings (1966) and Battle for Sevastopol (2015) chronicle the lives of women who joined the fight on the front lines.
That said, before Six Triple Eight premieres on Netflix, war movie buffs should check out these women-led war films:
- Carve Her Name with Pride (1958)
- Wings (1966)
- Courage Under Fire (1996)
- G.I. Jane (1997)
- The Land Girls (1998)
- Charlotte Gray (2001)
- Testament of Youth (2014)
- Battle for Sevastopol (2015)
- Battalion (2015)
- The Stopover (2016)
- Megan Leavey (2017)
Sources: The Guardian, Smithsonian Magazine
