Till

Emmett Till was a Black teenager, abducted, tortured, and brutally murdered in 1955. A Chicago native, Till was visiting relatives in Mississippi. While shopping at a small grocery store there, he was accused of whistling at the proprietor, a white woman. Several days later, her husband and his half-brother kidnapped the youth in the middle of the night. They savagely beat and killed him. Emmett’s body was recovered in the Tallahatchie River.

Till details that tragedy. Yet it’s not focused on Emmet or the physical attack. Instead, director Chinonye Chukwu (Clemency), who co-wrote the screenplay with Michael Reilly and Keith Beauchamp, has fashioned this historical record around the subsequent fight for justice spearheaded by Mamie Till. This is the portrait of a devastated mother who must contend with the murder of her son and figure out what to do next. As such, it is a fascinating drama that evokes genuine emotion from heart-wrenching events.

Any discussion of this film must begin with actress Danielle Deadwyler. She delivers a searing performance galvanized by that horrific slaying. I can’t fathom how she prepared to portray this woman. Her achievement is pure and honest. When first confronted with the sight of her dead son, she expresses a loss so unbearable it’s primal. Her manifestation of agony is profound. Later on, during a memorable scene in court, the camera fixates on her compelling visage in an unbroken shot while the defense attorney tries to disparage Emmett’s character. The rest of the cast — while solid — isn’t required to extract the same depth of despair. Whoopi Goldberg– the only bona fide celebrity in the ensemble — is an understated presence as Maime’s mother. Also worthy of mention is Jalyn Hall as her smiling, beaming 14-year-old son and Frankie Faison as Mamie’s supportive father.

Mamie Till is presented as an icon. When the account focuses on a mother’s grief for her son, the production shines. The exceptional costume and production design further elevate this document into the pantheon of movies on social justice. Less successful is when the saga adheres to the story beats you expect from a Hollywood production. It eventually climaxes as a courtroom drama. Anyone familiar with the well-documented outcome will not be surprised. Nevertheless, the movie wisely downplays the verdict and Till’s attackers and redirects focus on Mamie and her tenacity.

The tragedy of Emmett Till is profoundly depressing. It could have been even more harrowing. Till spares us a depiction of the lynching. Still, this is a hard film to watch. Mamie Till famously insisted that the casket containing his body be left open. The exhibition is vividly explicit in its shocking detail. “I wanted the world to see what they did to my boy,” she proclaimed. That fueled the civil rights movement. The chronicle has reframed her suffering as the spark that inspired a hero. Audiences willing to brave painful subject matter will be richly rewarded with Danielle Deadwyler’s performance. She brings this courageous woman to life.

11-03-22