Chinonye Chukwu’s Till received its wide theatrical release on October 28th. Till, the story of Mamie-Till Mobley’s quest for justice for her son Emmett Till, details one of America’s greatest tragedies and its aftermath. With its sensitive subject matter, does the film successfully make its statement on American racism, both then and now?
What’s it about?
Emmett Till (Jaylen Hall) is a fourteen-year-old Chicagoan who wants to visit his cousins in Money, Mississippi. Although he has some understanding of racism, his northern-city upbringing does not prepare him for the reality of having Black skin in the South. He had no inherent fear of interacting with whites, nor understand the need to act differently around them. Such worldviews are a mistake in 1950s-small-town Mississippi, where the lynching of African Americans is prevalent.
Emmett’s mother, Mamie Till-Mobley (Danielle Deadwyler), is anxious from the moment her son leaves for Mississippi. Her typical, motherly worries are compounded by an understanding of race relations in the South. Right before Emmett traveled to Mississippi, the activists Lamar Smith and Rev. George Lee were murdered for registering Blacks to vote.
Yet, Emmett is unaware of the danger that Blacks in the South face who “don’t know their place.” While he and his cousins visit a convenience store, Emmett strikes up a conversation with Carolyn Bryant (Haley Bennett), who was working the front counter… Emmett’s first mistake. His second was comparing Carolyn to a movie star. The final crime of Emmett Till was whistling at Carolyn, to which she grabs a gun and shoots at Emmett and the other Black patrons in the store.
Emmett and his cousins keep the incident from Emmett’s uncle, thinking the whole incident would blow over. Unfortunately, it did not, as a mob arrives at the farmhouse and steals Emmett away. Emmett Till wouldn’t be seen alive again.
Mamie is informed of what happened and falls into despair. The NAACP pledges to help locate the boy, putting pressure on Mississippi leaders. Eventually, Emmett Till’s body was found at the bottom of the Talahachee river. Mamie orders the body returned to Chicago for a proper, open-casket funeral. After the funeral, Mamie vows justice for Emmett and travels to Money, Mississippi, to testify in the trial of two white men accused of Emmett’s murder.
My Reaction
The story of Emmett Till has been recounted in various books, documentaries, and films. Keith Beauchamp, a writer, and producer for the film, released his documentary The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till in 2005, which included interviews with Mamie-Till Mobley. However, this dramatization is uniquely special in its wide theatrical release and its high quality of filmmaking. Never has the Till story been more accessible than now.
Also, Till is not just about Emmett. Centering Mamie-Till Mobley as the main character makes the pain of the tragedy all the more guttural. You witness a mother who only wanted her son to have a normal childhood, see her son lynched by racist Southerners, and then thrust into the national stage without any chance to grieve.
Danielle Deadwyler’s performance as Mamie Till-Mobley could go down as the best of the year, regardless of gender. How she conveys grief, despair, anger, and defiance without the need to utter a word is mesmerizing. Throughout her journey in the film, you see her constantly stepping up to advocate for her son in ways no mother should have to. Before she even gets a proper moment to grieve, a movement is hoisted on her back, with Emmett’s lynching as its catalyst.
Danielle Deadwyler must convey Mamie Till-Mobley’s journey from mother to activist while also marrying her pain with that of the nation. It would have been easy for Deadwyler to showcase the grief of Mamie Till-Mobley, as the source material for the role is the most tragic. But her ability to show Till-Mobley’s defiance and courage without minimizing those pangs of grief elevated the performance from good to breathtaking.
Unfortunately, mothers who experience tragedy are still compelled to be the face of a movement. Sabrina Fulton, mother of Trayvon Martin; Samaria Rice, mother of Tamir Rice; and Lezley McSpadden, mother of Michael Brown, all found themselves holding pictures of their murdered sons during the infancy of the Black Lives Matter Movement. It is easy to see Deadwyler pulling from those experiences, and Till-Mobley, to inform this stellar performance.
Till also has stellar supporting roles. Jaylen Hill as Emmett Till is lovely. He portrays a boy full of hope, a little ornery at times, and bursting with life. Mamie Till cautions her son to “be small” while in Mississippi, but Hill’s energy lets you know this request would be impossible for him to obey.
Whoopi Goldberg’s part is relatively small in the film. But there is an intimate scene between Goldberg and Deadwyler that reminds you why Goldberg is a celebrated EGOT (a winner of the four major entertainment awards: Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony). Acting veteran Frankie Faison is also admirable as Mamie’s supportive father, who is at her side almost every moment she is in Mississippi.
In addition to getting fantastic performances from her cast, Chinonye Chukwu’s direction deserves praise. Her lighting choices, particularly the use of sunlight, are incredibly captivating. The sunlight is too intense. Even in moments of levity, such as Emmett Till joking with his cousins in the cotton fields, the sunlight is uncomfortable and jarring. The metaphor is apparent. Shining a light on this country’s racial history is always intense and painful, no matter what is happening in the background.
Also, Chukwu does decide to re-enact the famous Jet Magazine photoshoot and the open casket funeral. I’ve heard some criticize this decision, but it was really the only choice Chukwu had if the film wanted to be honest and respectful of Mamie Till-Mobley’s strength at that moment. Her decision to show the world her son’s mutilated and lynched body is why Emmett Till’s story jump-starts a movement, and to run away from that would have been running away from her legacy.
But none of this is well with anyone’s soul. This isn’t the funeral of an elder who died from natural causes but a fourteen-year-old boy lynched because he dared to speak to a white woman in the South.
Still, these ten minutes of the film are probably the most uncomfortable moments I’ve had in a theater. The dreadful reveal, the reactions of Mamie and her fiancé Gene Mobley (Sean Patrick Thomas), and the Jet Magazine photoshoot is stomach churning and emotionally depleting. The funeral scene is especially angering, as individuals come and view the body as the choir sings the old gospel hymn It is Well With My Soul:
When peace like a river attendeth my way
When sorrows like sea billows roll
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say
It is well, it is well with my soul
It is well (it is well)
With my soul (with my soul)
It is well, it is well with my soul
But none of this is well with anyone’s soul. This isn’t the funeral of an elder who died from natural causes but a fourteen-year-old boy lynched because he dared to speak to a white woman in the South. The scene couples sadness with blinding anger.
Overall Rating
Till is an emotional telling of a mother’s strength in the worst of tragedies and how that woman’s courage sparks the modern Civil Rights Movement. Till is anchored by an award-worthy performance from Danielle Deadwyler and exceptional direction from Chinonye Chukwu. It will not make my top ten ‘favorite’ movies of the year. It isn’t that type of movie. But I believe it is the most important film of the year, as it reminds us of the perverse evilness that existed in our country’s not-so-distant past. Till also reflects how vestiges of that history can be seen even today.
Chinonye Chukwu was honest with her promise of not displaying physical violence in the film. The lynching of Emmett Till does happen off-screen. However, you do hear his screams and see the aftermath. You also get to witness the mockery and dismissal of a mother’s grief by white southerners who viewed Till and his mother as less than human. This is a different type of violence, violence that sits with you long after you leave the theater.
I had difficulty pinpointing for whom this movie was made. African Americans, who mostly know the story and pain of Emmett Louis Till’s lynching, may not be served well by reopening old wounds, especially with new wounds being made every day. I also seriously doubt that deniers of racism whom such a film could enlighten will seek this out.
Nevertheless, this brilliant piece of storytelling has something for everyone. Even though old wounds will be reopened for African Americans, there is also a story of perseverance and resiliency. Those who have especially been active in the recent fight for Black lives can find strength in Mamie Till-Mobley’s story. If Mamie could endure, then there is space for us to do so.
It can also compel those of other races unfamiliar with the Till story, or those who want to understand America’s relationship with race, to have more meaningful conversations about these issues and their impact today. The lynching of Emmett Till happened almost 70 years ago, yet an anti-lynching law was just passed in 2022. Yes, America still has a race problem, and Mamie Till-Mobley gives us the blueprint for how to fight it.
