Till
classified 12APlease note: This was screened in Jan 2023
Chinonye Chukwu (Clemency) travels back to the 1950s for her stunning second feature about the true story of Mamie Till's landmark fight for justice following the abhorrent lynching of her son Emmett in 1955.
While in Mississipi for a family visit, 14-year-old Emmett Till was kidnapped and murdered after being wrongfully accused of harassing a white woman. When it became clear that the white establishment was unconcerned about bringing his killers to justice, Emmett's mother Mamie (Danielle Deadwyler) turned reluctant activist, her fight becoming a major catalyst for the US Civil Rights Movement.
Till is a momentous reminder of an ever-present tragedy, featuring painstaking production design, subtly expressive camera framing and composition, and a note-perfect supporting cast, including Sean Patrick Thomas, Jalyn Hall, Tosin Cole, John Douglas Thompson, Frankie Faison, and Whoopi Goldberg. As relevant now as ever, Till is intelligent, emotional and gripping from the first shot to the last.