When it comes to the best war films out there, plenty of popular titles come to mind. Maybe you think of Saving Private Ryan or Dunkirk or many of those other movies that take you right into the middle of the action. However, new 2024 release The Six Triple Eight tells a different war story that most haven’t heard before. I wanted to know more about why the movie was chosen by director Tyler Perry, and he graciously shared with me what he wants people to talk away from his dramatic WWII film.
The latest film from director Tyler Perry to hit the Netflix schedule tells the story of the only Women's Army Corps unit of color during the Second World War and how these women contributed to the war effort by sorting through seventeen million pieces of mail that hadn’t been delivered to soldiers on the frontline or to their families back home. Wild right? So, when I had the chance to talk with Tyler Perry about the significance of this film and what he wants people who didn’t know about the 6888 to take away from it, his response was simple:
To understand that there's a lot of different kinds of history that make up American history. And it's all very important, and all these stories matter, every one of them. They shouldn't be banned or brushed aside or not taught. I think for little girls to know that 855 women were in World War II, little Black girls, little white girls. I mean – this speaks to the value of what women can do. So I think it's all important that we know that.
Perry’s words make me want to do a deep dive into lesser known moments in U.S. history. Sure, there are some great movies about the Cold War or great movies set during the First World War, and even other 2024 war entry Civil War is a fantastic piece of cinema. But how many other stories about war are we missing out on that still could be unearthed on film? Feels like a lot, honestly.
The Six Triple Eight gives us this chance to look deeper into the people who helped America during a time of need. So far it's earned fairly solid reviews from critics, despite Perry recently weighing in on why he avoids reviews these days. If you haven't given it a shot yet, all you need is a Netflix subscription to watch.
The film, starring Kerry Washington, Ebony Obsidian, and more, is a history story that I was never told as a kid in school, and neither were my parents, my brother, nor anyone else I knew personally. It gives us a fresh perspective into a world of war that we didn’t quite know about. Per Perry, every kind of history, no matter what we know, is all-important, and none of it should be “brushed aside” because every little bit matters.
