TILL

Danielle Deadwyler stars in the emotionally provoking, jaw-dropping, maddening film, based on true events – Till.

Directed by Chinonye Chukwu, who is the first African-American woman to win the U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize at Sundance for her unquestionable skills in Clemency.

Till follows the true story of Mamie Till-Mobley’s relentless pursuit of justice for her 14-year-old son, Emmett Till, who was brutally lynched in 1955 while visiting his cousins in Mississippi for whistling at a white woman Carolyn Bryant.

Before going into this film, I had always known what I was getting myself into as the story of Emmett Till and his brutal death and the injustice that followed as even reached the shores of South Africa itself, so I needed to prepare myself mentally before stepping into the ring with this juggernaut of inequality.

Without a doubt, the shining grace and beauty of this film are led by none other than Danielle Deadwyler who plays Mamie Till-Mobley, and her rendition of her character is flat-out riveting to watch, acting wise, I think this may be one of the most powerful performances I’ve seen in a long, long time.

The emotion that this lady can conjure is so raw, and devastating especially when you see her at first as this strong, warm, loving woman that only meant to raise her son the best way she can.

But when things turn sore, it’s in the facial expressions that tell you everything you need to know, she doesn’t need to scream to get her message across, it’s all comprehendible through the sheer look from her eyes, to the slightest twitch in her lip. Rage, worry, sadness, and love.

Emmett Till on the other hand, played by Jalyn Hall was a charismatic child that was always smiling and loved making others smile along with him, in other words, he resembled the sun to many.

It’s easy to fall in love with the character and the little yet pivotal moments he shares with his mother at the beginning of the movie tell you all you need to know about his character, he was accommodating to everyone with a gleeful outlook on life.

Which is why, when he is murdered horrifically in contrast with his cheerful personality, only makes racism sink in a lot harder, like how could you honestly do such a thing to a 14-year-old child and continue living your life as if you were the victim of it all?

Another aspect that assists the movie will have to do with its incredible cinematography by Bobby Bukowski.

There are a lot of lingering scenes which not only allow us to pause for a brief moment to appreciate the scene rather than rushing over to the next but also allows us to stop and think about what is said at that very moment and if there is any merit to what both parties are saying.

For example, there is this one scene with Mamie Till-Mobley and her uncle having a conversation near a river.

The conversation turns into a battle of conviction, and wills but also relays to the audience that even though on paper “All animals are equal, some animals are more equal than others”.

This scene is gutting, I won’t even get into the scene at the court when Mamie is asked to testify about her son, which left me completely speechless and shedding tears uncontrollably, if she isn’t nominated for an award for this scene then I rest my case.

All in all, Till is a powerful, gut-busting film that sees a mother take on the government and its unfairness towards black people in a movement to remove the method of lynching across the United States of America because of the death of her son.

From a loving mother, and a dedicated daughter to a freedom fighter who always carries herself with such humbleness, grace, and elegance.

I give Till a 3.8 out of 5 rating.

Let me know in the comments below whether you agree or disagree with my review of Till and let’s get the conversation started.

As always, thank you for reading another review from, LSR.

Stay Blessed.