feeldb

Bessie

2015 · 107 min · Director: Dee Rees ★ IMDb 6.7 · 5,165 ratings

Show plot summary (may contain spoilers)

The story of legendary blues performer Bessie Smith, who rose to fame during the 1920s and '30s.

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Emotional fingerprint

Bessie (2015) — Movie. Top emotional signals: Inspiration 30%, Empathy 25%, Sadness 15%. Source: AI estimate. Shares describe emotional signal, not percentages of people. Your experience may differ. How we measure

  1. Humor15%

AI estimate · no viewer votes yet

How we measure

AI estimate

Share of emotional signal, not the percentage of people or a probability of enjoyment.

Each viewer contributes one response, split equally across their selected emotions. When available, an automated estimate supplies a prior that is blended with those responses. Counts include distinct viewers, not automated estimates or archived anonymous votes. Fewer than 3 viewers is an early estimate; more responses do not guarantee certainty.

Why it feels this way

The strongest emotional signals are Inspiration, Empathy, Sadness. Genres: Drama, Music, Biography. AI estimate.

Is it worth watching?

Consider this title if you are looking for Inspiration, Empathy and Sadness. Its IMDb rating of 6.7/10 suggests a generally positive audience reception. For these leading emotions, its Feel Score is 67/100.

How did it make you feel?

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Emotional journey

AI · from subtitles
  • Sadness
  • Joy
  • Hope

Not enough subtitle evidence

No dominant emotion

Dominant emotion: Joy

Dominant emotion: Humor

Dominant emotion: Tension

Dominant emotion: Hope

Dominant emotion: Sadness

Sadness
Joy
Hope
Emotional journey Emotional intensity over the film’s runtime, from quieter to stronger on a fixed 0–1 scale. Hatched intervals have insufficient subtitle evidence. The table provides the values.
Ending hidden

Dominant emotion

Intensity dips around 13 %, then rises around 73 %, then peaks around 83 %.Ending hidden

Emotional journey
%Approximate minuteDominant emotionOverall intensitySadnessJoyHope
2.5 %≈ 3′Joy50 %35 %40 %10 %
7.5 %≈ 8′Joy44 %26 %31 %19 %
12.5 %≈ 13′Humor43 %20 %28 %23 %
17.5 %≈ 19′Joy48 %20 %34 %21 %
22.5 %≈ 24′Joy48 %16 %33 %25 %
27.5 %≈ 29′Humor48 %16 %25 %20 %
32.5 %≈ 35′Tension56 %25 %24 %15 %
37.5 %≈ 40′Tension59 %27 %24 %28 %
42.5 %≈ 45′Hope53 %26 %25 %43 %
47.5 %≈ 51′Hope53 %29 %35 %44 %
52.5 %≈ 56′Joy53 %26 %44 %33 %
57.5 %≈ 62′Joy49 %24 %38 %23 %
62.5 %≈ 67′Tension48 %28 %28 %21 %
67.5 %≈ 72′Joy48 %31 %30 %26 %
72.5 %≈ 78′Joy56 %43 %30 %26 %
77.5 %≈ 83′Sadness75 %66 %15 %16 %
82.5 %≈ 88′Sadness81 %78 %8 %19 %
87.5 %≈ 94′Sadness70 %54 %23 %35 %
92.5 %≈ 99′Humor60 %25 %36 %45 %
97.5 %≈ 104′Hope57 %22 %33 %50 %
Riches to rags

Rags to riches: The emotional tone rises from negative to positive.

Riches to rags: The emotional tone falls from positive to negative.

Man in a hole: The tone falls, then recovers.

Icarus: The tone rises, then falls.

Cinderella: The tone rises, falls, then rises again.

Oedipus: The tone falls, rises, then falls again.

AI reading of the film’s English subtitles (dialogue and sound cues) — not viewer votes. How we measure ↗

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Afterward Reveal viewer responses · may contain spoilers

Viewer responses about feelings after the title ended, separate from feelings while watching. No AI estimates.

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Feeling details appear after at least 3 viewers respond, to protect privacy.

Cast

Mo'Nique

Ma Rainey

KJ
Kamryn Johnson

RM
Rikki McKinney

Mike Epps

Richard

Tika Sumpter

Lucille

Charles S. Dutton

William 'Pa' Rainey

BG
Bryan Greenberg

John Hammond

Oliver Platt

Carl Van Vechten

Tory Kittles

Clarence

AT
Alan T. Coleman

Stagehand

CC
Clay Chappell

'81' Theatre Owner

SC
Sharan C. Mansfield

Miss Taylor

NP
Neko Parham

Rehearsal Director

OT
Onira Tarés

Chorus Girl

JD
Jhoni Davis

Chorus Girl

JR
Jim R. Coleman

Host

MY
Melissa Youngblood

Theatergoer

Details

Directed by
Dee Rees
Written by
Horton Foote, Christopher Cleveland, Bettina Gilois, Dee Rees
Type
Movies
Released
2015
Runtime
107 min
Country
United States
Ratings
★ IMDb 6.7 · 5,165 ratings
Feels mostly
Inspiration
Data updated

Where to watch

Also on

Availability varies by country

Data: JustWatch · Wikidata

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Emotion overlap shows mood similarity, not a prediction of enjoyment.