Sally, a biopic about astronaut Sally Ride, tells her story in the normal biopic documentary style using archival footage, photos, interviews, and some actor reenactments. It focuses on the part of her life that stayed hidden from the public until her death, namely the information that she was a lesbian.

Sally died in 2012 after giving her life partner Tam O’Shaughnessy permission to tell her story in any way she chose. Sally and Tam were life partners for 27 years. During that entire time Sally stayed in the closet. She was a public figure, a famous name, admired by Americans, and a role model for many aspiring young women in STEM. She took every risk to achieve her career goals including putting her life at risk as an astronaut. But she never risked coming out.

Directed by Cristina Costantini, the documentary was beautifully constructed. Tam talked a lot and showed many photos. Since Sally was a public figure, there was a lot of archival material to use. People who knew her, like her sister Bear, her fellow astronauts, journalist Lynn Sherr, and her friend Billie Jean King talked about her. The talking heads were minimal in this biopic. A few scenes were recreated by actors.

I thought it was an excellent portrait of a brilliant and competitive person who was raised not to be openly emotional about her feelings. Her focus and intelligence got her into NASA and the astronaut program and made her the first American woman in space in 1983. I find it sad that she felt she had to be so guarded and careful about her private life for her entire adulthood.

After she left NASA, she and Tam started a company called Sally Ride Science. They taught girls about science and created entertaining science programs and books. She was able to influence thousands of young girls with that endeavor.

She accomplished so many things that are not mentioned in this doc. Wikipedia has the full story. Even without every detail and every accomplishment of hers, this biopic gives you an inspiring snapshot of a brilliant and groundbreaking American hero.

Sally is a National Geographic documentary. You can see it streaming on Disney+ or Hulu.