Till is one of the most heart breaking, emotional and profound films I’ve ever since and is the most hard to view film I’ve seen at a cinema (in a good way).
In October, I was invited to see director, Chinoye Chukwu‘s take on the infamous Emmett Till story following him and his mother’s life from before the murder to the aftermath.
Just to give you some context to the story of Emmett Till. Emmett Louis Till was a 14-year-old black boy from Chicago who was abducted, tortured, and lynched in Mississippi in 1955 when visiting family, after being accused of offending a white woman, Carolyn Bryant, in her family’s grocery store. The murder case was taken to trial however the Till family did not win the case due to racial tensions and bias in America at the time. Soon after the trial, Emmett Till’s killers confessed to murdering Emmett however they were not charged and lived the rest of their life as free men. Liar, Carolyn Bryant, is still alive today and has also not been charged.
Chinoye did a fantastic job expressing the hit hitting emotions that everyone who loved Emmett Till had to endure hearing about his gruesome killing. Without spoiling, there were two moments where it was difficult to witness as a viewer in a cinema let alone being there in real life. The first moment is where they revealed his corpse for the first time to his mother Mamie Till and second where his corpse was revealed at his funeral with an open casket. These moments were very powerful for a couple of reasons. One being the way Emmett Till was beaten, tortured and lynched reflected on his corpse was horrific to embrace. Second being the way Chinoye pinned the camera on the funeral attendees as they saw Emmett’s corpse for the first time; Emmett looking almost unrecognizable.
Danielle Deadwlyer delivered an incredible Oscar winning performance portraying the fearless, daring, strong, independent and intelligent, Mamie Till. It was a mind-blowing display of excellence on screen and I couldn’t take my eyes off her. She stole every scene she was in and represented Mamie Till authentically, honestly and respectfully in her journey to avenge and bring justice to her son’s murder.
Till is a brilliantly well made film which was essential after experiencing it as it highlights the racial tensions and bias in America. It also illustrates the brutality and futility of a racists actions of which is still present to this day. It also shows that no matter your age or innocence, as long as you’re black, you’re viewed as an enemy to them.
This great film conveyed a side of Emmett and Mamie we’ve never since before. Despite the heartache, It was a pleasure to behold Jayln Hall‘s presentation of Emmett’s caring and lovable personality and Mamie’s unconditional love for her son alongside her courage to stand up and fight for him. The sound, visuals, costume design and props were also impressive and immersive.
Although it’s an emotionally challenging film to digest, it’s an imperative pillar in American history that is still prominent in today’s society.
9/10
Till is out 6th of January 2023 in the UK.
Written by P Rose
It was an unforgettable vision of the past, present and unfortunately, future.
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