Direction: Chinonye Chukwu
Country: USA
The true story of Emmett Till, a 14-year-old African American boy who was lynched for racial reasons in Mississippi in the 1950s, is told with a disturbing edge in this thoughtful and fully explanatory biographic drama directed, executive produced and co-written by Chinonye Chukwu (Clemency, 2019). The work, classic to the core, also underlines the important step given for the civil rights movement and black community as the racial hatred was exposed like never before.
Simply told with limited theatrics, Till is effectively dramatic without achieving the state of masterpiece. It’s worth seeing, if only to soak up the positive presence of Danielle Deadwyler, who plays Emmett’s mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, with intrepidity. Getting both press and public attention, she resolutely seeks for justice to make the two white murderers pay for their horrendous crime.
Although it doesn’t always avoid the pitfalls of filmed theatre, the film retains all the drama's thematic force, being bolstered by some good supporting roles and carrying uncomfortable feelings and heavy emotion.
The Nigerian-born director is totally committed to her subject, but I’m convinced that the power of the film doesn’t totally match the power of the message.
