Chicago, 1955. Mamie Till (Danielle Deadwyler) sends her son, Emmett Till (Jalyn Hall) to visit her relatives in rural Mississippi. After an altercation with a local shopkeeper (Haley Bennett), Emmett is kidnapped and brutally tortured and murdered by white supremacists. As his body is returned to Chicago, Mamie begins a campaign to ensure the whole world knows of the unimaginable crime, and of the violent racism that exists in America...
There are several moments in 'Till' that feel completely baffling and utterly unimaginable to non-Americans, or anyone unfamiliar with the horrific murder of 14-year old Emmett Till. The movie ends with a postscript that explains a federal anti-lynching law was only passed in 2022, some six and a half decades after the incident shown in the movie. Moreover, the woman whose accusations set the murder of Emmett Till in motion, Carolyn Bryant-Donham, is still alive today and has narrowly escaped indictment for her involvement. The men in question who were indicted eventually sold their story to Look Magazine, and admitted their crimes in said story - and remained free.
Yet, beneath all this, 'Till' shows us again and again that facing insurmountable evil, a crooked system of law, and indifferent institutions requires a level of dignity and steely resolve that seems impossible when faced with these. That's where Danielle Deadwyler's performance comes in, playing the role of Mamie Till with complete control over all. So often you can see her on the verge of collapse, weighed down by the horrors of it all, but completely unwilling to bend or break. Deadwyler is able to balance this all while still remaining emotionally available and resonant, not closing herself off to the audience but bearing it all with determination. Likewise, the supporting cast - made of greats like Whoopi Goldberg, Frankie Faison, and Roger Guenveur Smith - are able to shoulder the onslaught of racism with complete dignity.
Chinonye Chukwu's direction is lucid and the camera takes in all of the colour and vibrancy of Chicago in the '50s, with particular attention paid to the fashion and the design of that era. It stands in marked contrast to how dull and decrepit Mississippi is portrayed, particularly the scenes set inside the wilting courthouse and the detestable jurors and police brought out for the trial. Abel Korzeniowski's score lifts up 'Till' with its beautifully rendered moments, while Bobby Bukowski's cinematography captures all of the production design with perfect clarity.
If there's a complaint against 'Till', it's that it under-serves the roles of Carolyn Bryant and her husband, reducing them only to essentially shadows and cutouts of the wider issues at hand and forgoing any kind of examination of them. As 'Till' is more concerned with telling Mamie Till's story and what led her to make the choices she made concerning her son's murder, it seems like it's missing an aspect of the story. Equally, 'Till' gives no insight beyond the trial and its conclusion, instead allowing a short scene and a postscript to tell a full life. Though the murder of her son came to define her life afterwards, we don't see any of it.
Nevertheless, 'Till' stands as a provocative, unflinching portrayal of barbarism and dignity, racism and equality, and maternal love and systemic hatred.
