Till
Till is playing in theaters at the time of writing. Rated PG-13. Common Sense says 13.
STORY: A-
Till is the true story of Mamie Till-Mobley’s fight to expose the heinous racism behind the crime and to bring those responsible for her son Emmett’s brutal lynching to justice.
The movie focuses on Till-Mobley’s struggle instead of on her son. In fact, director Chinonye Chukwu (Clemency) opts to not show us the horrific murder. We’re locked outside the building, left to only listen to the anguished wails of Emmett Till’s final moments. Our imaginations paint the grotesque picture in our heads. It’s a brutal choice, but one that renders the horrific act with respect and grace.
PEOPLE: A
Whoever engraves the names on Oscar statues better start practicing how to spell Danielle Deadwyler (Miranda Carroll from Station Eleven). Deadwyler delivers an award winning-worthy performance. She’s tortured. She’s heroic. She’s the most loving momma in the entire world. She barely blinks in her riveting, close up oner (as in “one take” … no cutting away) during her courtroom testimony. She’s powerful and unforgettable.
I doubt the casting department could have found a more lovable kid than Jalyn Hall (Young Malik from Space Jam: A New Legacy) to play Emmett Till (who goes by Bo). It’s a tragedy when any child dies, but Hall’s murder cuts deeper because of the fifteen minutes he spends filling the screen with life, laughter, and sweetness.
FILM GEEK STUFF: B+
The film opens with Mamie and Bo singing in the car. The camera seems like it’s sitting in their laps. It’s close and low, looking up at them - not an angle often used in movies. It makes you wonder if Mamie’s reliving a happy memory or if she and Bo are enjoying a genuine, happy moment. The angle appears repeatedly throughout the film to great effect, never more movingly than the shot from the casket’s point of view.
The movie is also full of mirror shots where we see one or more characters reflected in a mirror rather than filmed directly. Whenever something like that happens that often, you can bet some deeper meaning or symbolism is at play. Here it is: the mirror shots represent the need to look at ourselves - to reflect upon ourselves. Ms.Till-Mobley’s insistence on an open casket funeral forces us all to face the terror lurking in the darkest part of America’s soul. It cracks open the most hateful elements of the human heart. As painful as it is, we can’t afford to not look in the mirror once in a while. Ignoring things does not erase them.
BLACK LIVES MATTER (Elective Class): A
Chuwku spends a lot of energy portraying Emmett Till as a larger than life, joyous, lovable kid. It almost feels like she goes out of her way to demonstrate how amazing a kid he is in order to build the audience’s sympathy before he’s murdered. You may think it doesn’t matter. You may think we’d all feel sympathy for Bo whether he was a “good kid” or not. But looking at our modern “post-racial” (a sickeningly inaccurate term) world today, you would be wrong.
How painful would it be to lose the person you love most in this world, only to discover no one is going to lift a single finger for justice unless you can prove your loved one’s worth? If you’re White, you may think, “That would be sickening and terrible! It wouldn’t be right.” Well, it’s exactly what Mamie Till-Mobley needed to do. It’s what Trayvon Martin’s family needed to do. It’s what George Floyd’s family needed to do. It’s what Breonna Taylor’s family needed to do. It’s what countless families have needed to do.
How often do we see Black people go on camera to defend their dead child’s value, often listing his or her accomplishments as if they were applying to college? As if society won’t deem their slain child a true loss unless he or she possessed admirable qualities such as a high GPA, hours of volunteer work, or three jobs to help feed the family? It’s often said that Black people need to live their lives doing everything twice as good in order to get noticed. The same thing apparently can be said for their deaths.
When Black people say Black Lives Matter, this is one of the many things they’re talking about. I don’t think anyone denies that all lives matter. But if those who boast that “All Lives Matter” truly believed so, then grieving Black parents wouldn’t be forced to defend their children’s all too brief reputations.
FINAL COMMENTS:
This is a story everybody needs to know. Thanks to Mamie Till-Mobley’s decision and now Ms. Chukwu’s potent rendering of her story, Emmett Till’s casket remains forever open. It’s not what we may want to see reflected in the mirror, but it’s essential viewing.