As I watched the beginning of Chinonye Chukwu’s (Alaskaland, Clemency) true story Till, my mind kept returning to two different thoughts. The first was the film’s timeframe, thinking about my grandparents and realizing that the film’s lead character, Mamie Till-Mobley (The Harder They Fall, The Devil to Pay), was about the same age as my grandparents when the film took place (mostly) in 1955. The second was how I thought Till felt like a stage play, as much as it did a feature-length movie. I pondered how a live experience might feel. Sadly and shamefully, I only became aware of Emmett Till’s story for the first time when I saw the trailer. While I knew there were parts that I knew would be brutal, it was it wasn’t until we got to the film’s second act that I truly began to understand the story’s magnitude and felt that this story would be nearly impossible to pull off as a stage performance because of how draining it might be for the actors to go through the experience repeatedly, as well as how a live performance might devastate unprepared attendees.

I knew that my theater experience of Till would be difficult. The more I learned about the story, the more I realized that this would be a necessary film but a challenging watch. I hoped that Chukwu and her cast and crew would do the film justice. Chukwu not only did that, but she also did so much more. Now that I’ve seen it, I worry that not enough people will see it. Fortunately, this film will likely attain at least a couple of Academy Award nominations (Deadwyler for Best Actress and Costume Design being the two closest to locks). If this film were a 2020 or 2021 film, it likely would receive nominations for Best Picture and Best Director. Unfortunately, 2022 is a different story. In addition to the fantastic movies set for release during this year, many 2020 and 2021 films were pushed to the back burner while we waited for the pandemic to, if not end, at least mitigate, thus allowing nervous filmgoers to return to the theater. For as good as it is, it will be difficult for Till to be in the top five in multiple categories.

The film didn’t do itself any favors with its title. Till isn’t a name that a person will automatically associate as a name, let alone the last name of our leads. A title such as ‘Emmett Till’ would have been more memorable, though the film wasn’t only about Emmett. The same could be said if the title had been Mamie Till. Emmett and Mamie were and are forever linked together. The film couldn’t be named after one by excluding the other. I do understand that. Till doesn’t roll off the tongue as easily as many other film titles.

The film’s story revolves around the murder of Emmett, an innocent, jovial, vibrant, and loving 14-year-old living with his mother, Mamie, in 1955 Chicago. Born in Mississippi, Emmett was just a baby when his mother moved him north. While Mamie understands that Chicago is different in accepting African Americans, it isn’t perfect. Still, it allows her meaningful work, doing the same job with equal pay as her white counterparts. It also gives Emmett a fairer chance to achieve his dreams in this world. Unfortunately, Mamie’s husband was killed while serving duty near the end of World War II. As a result, Emmett never had the opportunity of knowing his father. However, he is warmed by the love of his mother, her soon-to-be fiance, Gene Mobley (Sean Patrick Thomas – Barbershop, The Fountain), his grandmother, Alma (Whoopi Goldberg – Ghost, Sister Act), and grandfather, John (Frankie Faison – In Good Company, Red Dragon).

He is invited to Mississippi for his summer vacation with his uncle, aunt, and three cousins. Mamie has strong reservations against him going, knowing firsthand how the residents of that state treat black males. However, she relents, partially due to his exuberance, and promises to always stay with his cousins and be extra careful in the presence of white people. As Emmett and Mamie prepared for their departure at home and the train station, we couldn’t help but forebode that this would be the last time they would see each other alive. Emmett is filled with joy and hope, Mamie with terror and worry.

Things are going smoothly initially. Emmett picks cotton with his Uncle Mose (John Douglas Thompson – Wolves, Mare of Easttown) and his cousins. It was probably not the excitement he hoped for, but he enjoyed his time with his family, especially after work. Then, on his third day, Emmett interacts with the young, attractive, and white Carolyn Bryant (Haley Bennett – The Girl on the Train, Cyrano), who worked the register at a local store/hangout and was frequented mainly by the local black people. History is murky on exactly what that interaction entailed (as the only two people in the store at the time were Emmett and Carolyn), but Emmett did whistle when she walked out of the store after him.

What happens soon after that sets up our film’s second and third acts. Emmett is ripped from his uncle’s house in the middle of the night by two white men, one of whom is the owner for whom Uncle Mose works. After Carolyn confirms his identity, the two men physically beat Emmett to death so badly that his body is unrecognizable. While Chukwu does not graphically show the beating, Till doesn’t completely shy away from the carnage. Instead, Mamie chooses to display Emmett’s grizzled, monstrous, disfigured face, which barely resembles a human, with an open-casket funeral. This is to show everyone, both near and far, the brutality to which her son was murdered.

Till is perfectly cast. Hall is fantastic as Emmett. His youthful and carefree presence is magnetic, captivating his aunt, uncle, and three Mississippian cousins as much as he does the moviegoers. While forewarned about the world outside of Chicago, it is one that he cannot believe exists. His innocence is countered perfectly by his cautioned mother. Deadwyler is flawless, playing a distraught parent who learns of her child’s murder as well as anyone we’ve seen in a film in the last two decades. As she considers how Emmett’s casket will arrive back to Chicago from its Mississippi transport, I was reminded of Sean Penn’s Oscar-winning performance as a father learning of the killing of his teenage daughter in Mystic River. Wheeler, Maurice, and Simmy (Emmett’s three cousins) perfectly mask the innate fear of the white person through the joys of youth during times when they feel safe, something we should all be afforded. Fresh off her fantastic portrayal of Roxanne in the movie Cyrano, Bennett may be the worst villain you’ll see on screen all year.

Plot 10/10
Character Development 9.5/10
Character Chemistry 9.5/10
Acting 9/10
Screenplay 8/10
Directing  10/10 (a master of their craft coming to their own)
Cinematography 10/10 (beautifully shot with bright colors that purposefully contrasted sharply with the horrific acts of racism and the somber nature of the film)
Sound 9/10 (subtle, yet overarching score, let by a variety of strings instruments)
Hook and Reel 9/10
Universal Relevance 10/10
94%

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