Tea-Meter: 6/10

The true story of the 6888th (Six Triple Eight) Battalion, the only all-black unit of the United States Women's Army Corps, is incredibly important and also inspiring, for the perseverance of these women in the face of constant racism from their superiors in the military is tremendous. The foundations for a great film are all here — not only does it represent a significant group of individuals from American history, but it also presents a fascinating look into how black women who have known oppression all their lives bond together for emotional and friendship, while spreading letters of hope and good morale to the white soldiers on the front lines, many of whom already being white, have never known the feeling of true isolation until their lack of mail during their most crucial moments in war, showing not just that black people, and black women specifically, are as important and capable as the primarily recognized white soldiers, but also that empathy and emotion are a key part of the human soul that begins to fracture without it. Anti-war stories are at their best when they don't just call out the cruelties of war, but also the deeper effects that the violence has on everyone involved, and while the subjects of battlefield trauma and PTSD are important, the stories behind the front lines are often overlooked, which is why this story is so significant.

That being said, Tyler Perry was terrible as a writer AND director for this could've been incredible film. The Six Triple Eight is not just a story of hope and resistance against oppression, but a heavily emotional tale about the grief and isolation war brings that leads people to new emotional lows that also forces them to let their human empathy shine as they form relationships with one another. That being said, nothing about this film feels unique in any way. Every scene wants to be its own big moment, but they each fall flat from weightless, uninspired dialogue — I actually did cry during this, but it was during times of little to no speaking (the sequence of both the soldiers and people at home receiving their letters, while the Six Triple Eight Battalion were finally given the respect they fought so hard for). Apart from the fact that the screenplay is decent at best, there's little nuance among our characters — apart from Adams and Lena, no one is a standout, and that lack of true emotional connection is painful to sit through when these characters' bonds are what is supposed to be the core and glue of this experience.