Till

Watching the new movie “Till” might be difficult, but everyone should see it. Not only is it a good film, but it is important historically. Emmett Till was a black teenager from Chicago, visiting relatives in Mississippi. He allegedly flirted with a white woman and was kidnapped, tortured and killed. His mother publicized his murder and the publicity was one of the defining events of the civil rights movement. The film focuses on his mother, Mamie, who went public with the event, showing pictures of his mutilated body to the press. She even went down to Mississippi to testify at his murderers’ trial. Danielle Deadwyler plays Mamie and it is a riveting performance that should be noticed during awards season. There are some slow parts and also graphic scenes. (They show Emmett’s battered body and it is difficult to watch.) This film shows how the Jim Crow south treated blacks and the injustices they suffered. At the end of the film there are some updates on what happened to Mamie and the Civil Rights movement. The thing that got me is that the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act was only passed in March, 2022! See this movie!