The story of The Six Triple Eight Postal Battalion is one of great importance, and it’s a more than justified reaction of pure skepticism when one learns that Tyler Perry will be the one who will shed light on their heroism in a movie. Out of all the filmmakers that Netflix could have been tasked with such a project, Perry would be at the very bottom of the list. Never mind his directorial ineptitude at composing a potent image, but a good chunk of his films are filled with some of the most egregious stereotypes in modern-day Black cinema, as perfectly illustrated in his never-ending Madea franchise. They’re also a perfect exercise in emotional manipulation, with the score bludgeoning the audience over the head with specific tonalities in one direction so they can artificially feel a certain emotion.
So, color me surprised when The Six Triple Eight opened with a harrowing battle that showcases the extreme brutality of World War II without exploitation and/or manipulation on Perry’s part. The scene is terrifically composed and primes the audience that this seemingly eternal fight is a hopeless one. Soldiers who are on the frontlines are risking their lives for their country while their families are desperately waiting to hear news on their safety or if they are indeed alive. Yet, mail isn’t being delivered, which leaves many families in disarray figuring out whether their loved ones are still walking on this Earth.
As we eventually learn from General Halt (Dean Norris), this is the least of the Army’s priorities, which shocks then-First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt (Susan Sarandon). Through the encouragement of civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune (Oprah Winfrey), she tasks Major Charity Adams (Kerry Washington) and her all-Black, all-female battalion with the mission of getting mail delivered at such a critical time for the United States.
Before we get there, however, Perry introduces us to our protagonist, Lena Derriecott King (Ebony Obsidian), who, during the height of the war, falls in love with Abram David (Gregg Sulkin), a white, Jewish fighter pilot about to leave for Europe to join the Army for the war’s last leg. Predictably, one can tell he will not return to Lena (because he keeps saying, “When I get back from the war,” which means you won’t get back from the war in Hollywood terms) and live a fulfilling life with her. David’s death inspires Lena to enlist, leading her straight to Charity Adams, who takes a liking to her fierce energy and willingness to respect the soldiers who have fallen, having a personal connection to one of them
The Ensemble Cast's Roles In The Film
The first half of The Six Triple Eight continues to bathe in the director’s worst tendencies at play, with the stereotypical writing and mawkish platitudes he’s mostly known for (alongside telegraphed character arcs and that awful, bludgeoning music). But it’s during the scene where Washington appears on screen as if she’s the biggest star of the century that Perry’s film improves in the screenwriting department and justifiably gives most of the dramatic screentime to Washington and Obsidian, whose characterizations of both Adams and Derriecott are full of raw agency and emotion.
This is a rare sight in a Tyler Perry film, but the writer/director seemingly understands that he shouldn’t interfere too much and let Washington imbue Adams with the fierceness she should be embodied with. Adams and her crew never received official orders from the War Department and were set up to fail from the start by a racist general who appeared to be ‘generous’ by giving them six months to sort impossibly gargantuan amounts of mail and deliver it. Meanwhile, Halt constantly dehumanizes the soldiers based on the color of their skin and has them stay at a rat-infested, decrepit school with no heat and good working conditions.
We learn that he only acted upon the orders of President Franklin D. Roosevelt (Sam Waterston). But when FDR dies, Halt attempts to stop their operation by reaching out to the newly appointed President, Harry S. Truman, since this initiative was initially brought upon by Eleanor and Bethune. The roadblocks are constantly there and exacerbated when Halt enlists a chaplain to spy on the battalion and give a scathing report that would justify the eventual winding down of their operation.
But Adams will never be belittled, harassed, bullied, and demeaned by her peers. She’s an American soldier, just like the rest of the Army, and longs to be treated equally. That’s why this mission, which initially seemed frivolous and unimportant, reveals itself to be one of the most crucial objectives of World Wars II: giving hope during the most hopeless time this country has suffered in a long time. Of course, Perry experiences difficulty bringing this moment in history to the big screen in a humanist light. However, one can tell how much reverence he has for the women who accomplished the impossible and helped the country at a time when they needed it the most.
Feelings Running High
The emotional button-pushing doesn’t feel forced when Perry focuses on Lena and Charity because Washington and Obsidian understand the responsibility of bringing these women to life. Some of the more intimate scenes, such as Lena chiding Johnnie Mae (Shanice Shantay) for throwing soldier tags away as if they mean nothing, contain the most significant emotional power of Perry’s career. When cinematographer Michael Watson shows the character at her most vulnerable through an extreme close-up of her looking in the mirror, anguished by the crushing loss of the love of her life, one can feel a pain that will never be healed.
When she finally has the opportunity to visit David’s grave, her face informs us that perhaps things will get better if they can accomplish the mission they are tasked with. It not only did for Lena, who appears during the film’s epilogue through real-life footage of her at 100 years old, but for Charity Adams, who was finally promoted to Captain after what she—and her battalion—accomplished.
In that regard, The Six Triple Eight succeeds, even with some glaring issues, in giving respect to the only Black women battalion of World War II who overcame all adversity with one guiding force: hope. At a time when no soldier on the frontlines had any, their hope that this war would end made them unstoppable. It’ll be hard to hold back tears during its final scene and eventual cheers when one learns how long it took them to sort and deliver the full hangars of mail they were tasked with. Perhaps six months was generous enough, after all.
The Six Triple Eight is now available to stream on Netflix.