The following article contains SPOILERS for The Six Triple Eight on Netflix. If you're not caught up with the film, you can check it out with a Netflix subscription.
If you've been up to date with the 2024 Netflix schedule, then you're aware of the latest film from Tyler Perry, The Six Triple Eight. The film tells the story of the only U.S. Women's Army Corps unit of color during the Second World War, which delivered 17 million pieces of mail, and is based on the stories of several hundred real people. Because of that, CinemaBlend had the chance to hear about an incredible experience the star Kerry Washington got to have with a journalist at the premiere of the film.
When I spoke with Washington (who portrays Major Charity Adams) ahead of the film's release to those with a Netflix subscription, she revealed that at the premiere of The Six Triple Eight, there was a list of all the women who were a part of the regiment, and a journalist spotted her great aunt's name. Afterwards, she "burst into tears" because seeing her name on that list explained "so much" of her aunt's past to her:
We had a journalist on the red carpet last night who found out last night that her great aunt, who had been in the army and had never wanted to talk about it, was actually a member of the Six Triple Eight. We had a list outside the premiere of every single woman, all 855 members of the regiment, and her great aunt's name was on the list, and she burst into tears. She was like, ‘This explains so much.’ Because so many of the women when they came back, they were not treated with dignity. They were really disrespected, and there were even rumors that the only reason they had been sent overseas were to be concubines for the black male soldiers. So a lot of women didn't talk about it.
Washington further commented that now, this movie provides the opportunity for those families of the soldiers who were a part of the regiment to have a "deepened pride" for their ancestors and tells a story that no one would have expected:
And you think, each one of those women, many of them had several children, those children had children. So they're each their family tree of generations of people that come after them, that now get to have a deepened pride in where they come from and how their family has participated in the history of this incredible country, and really participated in the history of defending democracy all over the world.
There’s so much history out there that we don’t know, and it’s a big thing that Tyler Perry wants viewers to take away from the film. Washington's story of a journalist finding out about her aunt's participation in this battalion was a fantastic example of that—she never would have known about this if it wasn't for this film's release and Perry telling these people's stories.
Washington teamed up with Oprah Winfrey and more to tell this story, and it’s moments like this that make it all the better – that they can make a connection with someone that wasn’t there before.
2024 has had some particularly good war films, like A24's Civil War, which became a favorite for many people. There have also been plenty of great war movies focused around World War II in general. But I personally think that The Six Triple Eight is a game-changer and teaches us so much about history that we didn’t know.
There are plenty of great movies coming out as part of the 2025 Netflix schedule, but since it's the end of the year, be sure to sit down with the family and check out The Six Triple Eight when you can to learn about these powerful women and how they helped America in their time of need.
