The true story of Mamie Till Mobley’s relentless pursuit of justice for her 14 year old son, Emmett Till, who, in 1955, was lynched while visiting his cousins in Mississippi.
- Released:
- Runtime: 120 minutes
- Genre: Drama
- Stars: Danielle Deadwyler, Jalyn Hall, Whoopi Goldberg, Frankie Faison, Haley Bennett, Jayme Lawson, Tosin Cole, Kevin Carroll, Sean Patrick Thomas, John Douglas Thompson, Roger Guenveur Smith, Princess Elmore, Josh Ventura, Ed Amatrudo, Gail Everett-Smith, Brendan Patrick Connor, Tim Ware, Keisha Tillis, Kevin Brown, Bradley King, J.P. Edwards, Jackson Beals, Summer Rain Menkee, Reid Jameson Smith, Mike Dolphy, Ralph Hughes, Ed Sturdivant, Rakeem Massingill, Al Mitchell, Lee Spencer, Njema Williams, Sean Michael Weber, Alyssa Talbot, Euseph Messiah, James Sanders III, Thea Clark, Jamie Renell, Friedman Twinkies, Jonathan D. Williams, Jaylin Webb, Eric Whitten, Diallo Thompson, Cora Maple Lindell, David Caprita, Elizabeth Youman, Charles T. Massey, Angela Yale, Phil Biedron, Carol J. Mckenith, Torey Adkins, Maurice Johnson, Noel Sampson, Brandon P. Bell, Oz Keenum, Destin Freeman, Bree Fyffe, Josh Mendez Sr., Marcus Atkins, Darian Rolle, Brennan Schram, Melina Datta, Blaine Huslig, Ryan Austin Bryant, Richard Nash
- Director: Chinonye Chukwu
Comments
- wellthatswhatithinkanyway - 10 September 2023
Absorbing, emotionally powerful drama
STAR RATING: ***** Brilliant **** Very Good *** Okay ** Poor * Awful
The year is 1955. Black teenager Emmett Till (Jaylyn Hall) is a charismatic young man, who is preparing to travel from Chicago to Mississippi to meet some relatives. His steely mother Marnie (Danielle Deadwyler) is concerned, telling him as a young black man he must be careful how he conducts himself down South, and he cannot behave the same way as in his hometown. Emmett enjoys his trip without incident, until he has an encounter with shop worker Carolyn Bennett (Haley Bennett), which leads to his brutal lynching. Devastated, Marnie makes her way down south to lead a dignified but determined campaign for justice for her boy, which leads on to greater things in the rise of the civil rights movement.
The history of slavery, segregation and oppression holds a vast swathe of stories that truly reveal the dark underbelly of American history, and indeed history in general, that shatter the proud veneer that the world likes to soak itself in. The story of Emmett Till, whose brutalised, distorted body in death was used for powerful effect by his mother on the front cover of a prominent publication at the time to wake America up to the true horror of racism is a truly significant one, that deserves an on screen telling, which has arrived in this lengthy, thorough dramatisation, that largely slipped under the radar in its January release on these shores.
In his inevitably limited screen time, young actor Jalyn Hall certainly makes an impression as Emmett, truly bringing him alive and making him more than just a name under a headline, a lively, energetic individual, whose cocksure humour would either rub off on you, or brush you up the wrong way. But it is Deadwyler in the lead role, who must commandeer the entire story, and she turns in a powerful, transfixing performance, as a woman saddled with grief and rage, who must compose herself and remain respectable in order to ensure a chance for justice for her son. The rawness of her emotions, and the power of her delivery add a solid extra depth to the proceedings. In a supporting role, Bennett also creates an impression as Bryant, the young woman whose false accusations against Emmett led to his slaying, conveying a cold iciness in the courtroom in the face of Marnie's tough struggle. Special mention should also go to Tosin Cole in a support role as chauffeur Medgar Evars, who would also go on to be a key player in the civil rights struggle, and whose own posthumous murder would be the subject of the 1996 courtroom thriller Ghosts of Mississippi.
It is said that if history makes you feel comfortable, you are not studying real history but propaganda, and Till is certainly not a tale that will leave you feeling happy and content with the world. But it is a powerful, stirring drama, with affecting performances and a stirring delivery, and sadly far from the only such tale of its kind. **** - holmestracy-33059 - 27 July 2023
A hard watch but compelling
The subject matter is horrific and unimaginable for any parent. The acting throughout is outstanding, this terrible event needs to be known..the injustice is truly heartwrenching.
Although difficult to watch in places the actual violence is thankfully not shown but in no way does this lessen the impact of the brutality . What follows the violence off screen are scenes which are truly distressing but which need to be done to cement the brutality and raw emotion of this terrible event.
At the end I felt the injustice was intolerable and the film as left a lasting impression on me.
Yes a difficult watch but one in retrospect I am glad I watched. - loicemeraux - 11 May 2023
Luca EMERAUX
This film is very touching and tells the true story of Emmett Till an American killed by racist act in barbaric conditions. This films tells the fight of his mother so that we do not forget what happened I really liked the acting of this mother. I liked te film i enjoyed the story the unfolding of the characters their story their acting games i find that we well play their role a little too long but otherwise it is a good. I love the mother who protects him at all costs to the courage to show her son the coffin. So for this film i put the note of 7 out 10 it is no perfecr but for me it deserves its noote can be a little shocking the head of the child in the coffin. - mossgrymk - 8 December 2022
till
The most redundant line in the movie, by far, was the dedication, at the end, to the memory of the title character's mother. I mean the film should have been called "Saint Mamie" since the pedestal upon which the heroine is placed by director Chinonye Chukwu is of the size and height usually reserved for beatification and John Ford women. As for the rest of the characters they fall into two, well demarcated camps. The African Americans are all placed on lesser pedestals while the Caucasians are, without a single exception, depicted as vile, racist, sneering, Coke swilling scumbags. And so we leave the world of good vs evil for the Hollywood world of good vs evil caricature. And we are the lesser for it. Give it a C plus (mostly for Danielle Deadwyler's acting skills, which are considerable). - msvicki1224 - 24 November 2022
Great movie!!!!
Although I already knew what was going to happen in this movie, I still hated the fact that Emmitt died!!! The woman who played the mother in this movie did such an excellent job in this movie. I don't have any kids but while watching this movie, I actually cried because of the mother and how real her tears seemed!!! It was a lot of things in this movie that was hard to watch but I was able to make it through. The part with the fat sheriff insulting the mother in court irked me a little along with the lying girl from the store. The fact that this movie is a true story is what makes it sad and upsetting. What goes around comes around therefore all of those people who were involved in Emmett's murder either got what they deserved or will get what they deserve in the end. The judge in the court room didn't make it right but they all have to answer to a higher judge!!!! - cricket30 - 15 November 2022
This important picture documents a lot of facts . . .
. . . obscured in the absence of the internet and social media in the mid-1900's. As Today's viewers familiar with the yellow noses of Texas, who swarmed a school containing an active shooter but twiddled their trigger fingers outside an unlocked door while one of the disgraced "law men's" teacherwife bled to death behind that door, just having a gun does not make everything full of sweetness and light. TILL reveals that the title character's parent knowingly sent him to a deadly environment without a Peacemaker with which to protect himself. Then, when a couple of jerks knock on his Uncle Preacher's door waving a flimsy pistol to kidnap, mutilate, murder and toss his nephew's corpse into a river, this pusillanimous miscreant doesn't lift a finger to outgun his late night visitors with his loaded twelve gauge. Finally, it turns out that 60% of the death squad belonged to the same group as the victim, not unlike what happened at the Texas school recently. Because History is repeating itself, many laws are being debated now which will require EVERY American to own at least one firearm, and pass proficiency tests in its use.
