READ OUR 2025 MILWAUKEE FILM FESTIVAL COVERAGE
In 1983, astronaut and physicist Sally Ride became the first American woman to go to space. By breaking that glass ceiling, she inspired generations, and her intellect and courage made her a role model for girls interested in science. It’s the kind of legacy that can simplify a person and shroud them in myth.
The documentary Sally, which opened the 2025 Milwaukee Film Festival, doesn’t make myths. It shows and celebrates plenty of Ride’s groundbreaking career at NASA. But it equally so shares the personal life she kept closely guarded – especially her private relationship of 27 years with partner Tam O’Shaughnessy, whose interviews serve as the film’s foundation.
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Coursing through both the professional and personal is Ride’s personality – a mix of quick wit, no-nonsense coolness and unflappable determination – and Sally squarely examines how the characteristics that helped her jump incredible hurdles could sometimes close her off to her loved ones. The result is a compelling, deeply human portrait of the pioneering astronaut that celebrates all of who she was. As one interview subject put it, “Just let Sally be Sally.”
Director and Milwaukee native Cristina Costantini expertly uses insightful interviews with friends and family and an abundance of archival footage – 5,000 reels, in fact. Particularly striking is the sexist media coverage of the first class of women astronauts, shown to be condescending and prone to asking ridiculous questions, like if Ride wanted to be the first mother in space. “The only bad moments in our training involved the press,” Ride says.
Sexism and ignorance also pervaded NASA, which infamously asked Ride if 100 tampons was the correct number to send for a six-day trip. We get to see the way Ride reacts to these instances, confidently and casually dismantling them. Her upbringing lends insight into how she confronted the challenges of the job and the resulting fame, the gravity of which she was keenly aware.
The dive into her lesser-known personal life is where the film’s beauty shines. O’Shaughnessy’s vulnerable and loving account of her and Ride’s relationship is moving, and a touch tragic because of Ride’s desire to keep their love a secret. Was Ride afraid to come out to the world? Sally handles the question thoughtfully.
What becomes clear in the film is a fuller picture of Sally Ride, and one that inspires in new ways.
SEE FOR YOURSELF: You can catch the Milwaukee Film Festival’s final showing of Sally at the Oriental Theatre on Thursday, May 1 at noon.
