Till is a profoundly emotional and cinematic film about 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. In Mamie’s poignant journey of grief turned to action, we see the universal power of a mother’s ability to change the world.
The Good
This movie has the burden of trying to tell a traumatic story without actually portraying the trauma on screen. Even with this burden Till succeeds and becomes visually and emotionally arresting with its storytelling. There are moments when you can feel the tension of the moment even when the moment is off-screen. The cinematography comes off very strongly throughout these moments in Till. The camera actually feels like our window into this story and we are witnessing these events firsthand. The camera angles also help convey the tension and anxiety of some visually powerful scenes.
Danielle Deadwyler is amazing as Mamie Till-Mobley. She is incredible in her performance and adds to the ease of immersion into this film. Danielle is supported by Jalyn Hall, Frankie Faison, and more but Danielle is always the centerpiece of a scene. I really enjoy her in this film and I love her chemistry with Jalyn Hall. Young Emmit has a glow to him that scares his mother when she knows he will be traveling without her. I felt her concern when she warns her son about the dangers of the south and I felt her bravery as Mamie’s bravery after the tragedy.
This is a very difficult movie for me to watch because of how easy it is to imagine myself in Emmett’s story. The pacing of Till feels slow but that’s because of the difficult subject matter. The moment of Till’s murder isn’t on-screen but it is represented in the film and every second is agonizing. Some of the best films are the ones the audience can relate to and my ability to see myself in this story is powerful.
The Bad
Movies like Till shouldn’t need to exist.
Overall
There’s a lot of anxiety leading up to the moment of Emmett’s murder. thankfully the movie mercifully spared us from seeing the actual murder. There’s a measure of emotional truth in this film and the lessons that society can learn from this story. Injustices like this continue to happen today. I am pleasantly surprised by the care that the filmmakers give to the story of Emmett. I knew a bit about Emmett’s story but this movie inspires you to learn more about the injustice and tragedy around his life.
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