Till

My Review- Till My Rating 9/10 Currently in selected Cinemas

Why was this fine movie ignored at last awards season I suspect for the same reason than in 2019 Just Mercy the story of a Civil Rights Defence Attorney Bryan Stevenson which starred Michael B Jordan in a 10/10 performance was also not nominated.

Danielle Deadwyler gives such an impressive performance in Till cast in the difficult role of a grieving mother Mamie Till - Mobley and I'm pleased to see the BAFTAS recognised her brilliance.

Till is a profoundly emotionally disturbing movie based on the true story of Mamie Till Mobley , an Afro American mother trying to pursue justice for the cruel and brutal murder of her 14 year old son Emmett Till.

Set in 1955 Emmett who enjoys a safe and comfortable lifestyle with his mother in Chicago until he is sent off to visit his cousins in Mississippi much to his protective mother's protests.

His Grandmother Alma played beautify by Whoopee Goldberg is keen for Emmett to meet his cousins so he sets off for a weeks family reunion.

In stark contrast to the liberal more tolerant Chicago the town of Money in Mississippi still has the red neck Southern bigotry and white supremacy left over from the black slave era .

This bigotry and racism make life so dangerous for its black population who are seen as second class citizens.

Before leaving home young Emmett reassures his mother Mamie that he will stay under the radar and be invisible .

However he is a bright spirited lad who makes a fatal mistake that angers the white male and female residents of Money causing his mothers greatest fears to come true, In Mamie's poignant journey of grief turned to action, we see the universal power of a mother's ability to change the world.

Till is a carefully researched film with a healthy estimated budget of USD 33,000,000 the Producers used 27 years of research by the man who was responsible for reopening of Emmett Till's case in 2004 by the United States Department of Justice.

At its core is the brilliant performance of its beautiful star Danielle Deadwyler who is on screen most of the time .

I mentioned Whoopi Goldberg who is impressive as Emmett's Grandmother Alma but all the players in this fine movie impressed me including Kevin Carroll who plays Rayfield Mooty, a member of the Civil Rights organisation the NAAC and Frankie Faison as John Carthan, Mamie's father and Emmett's grandfather who accompanies his daughter to the trial to try where she attempts to battle the Mississippi criminal justice system where truth is a disposable commodity.

The Screen play Writers Chinonye Chukwu, Keith Beauchamp and Michael Reilly have written a wonderful story that deserves to be seen on screen.

I wasn't surprised and I was pleased to see that a woman of colour Chinonye Chukwu also Directed this movie as it needed to be told from the woman's perspective to achieve the right sensitivity.

This is a perfect companion movie to Just Mercy 2019 and exposes many injustices in the American Justice System.

"If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor." Desmond Tutu

"Handle with Care" could have been on the cover of the script for Till, but it wasn't necessary because director Chinonye Chukwu, following her Sundance-winning Clemency, crafts her gentle but powerful depiction of 14-year-old Emmett Till's Mississippi lynching in 1955 and the subsequent trial of two white men. This docudrama not only does justice to the tragedy, but it also shows the death's influence on the 1967 Civil Rights Act.

Mamie Till-Mobley (Danielle Deadwyler in a sure-to-be-Oscar nominated performance) fights to have her son's brutalized body shown to the public, and it was shown, and like the movie itself, unforgettable. The film shoots this struggle in bright color as if to proclaim the horror vividly to the world. While strong black men recoiled from facing down white supremacists, Mamie never backed down in her attempt to bring justice for her son and expose the bigotry that exists even today.

While sometimes the music is heavy-handed and the courtroom drama veers to conventionality, never does the script waver from an even-keeled tempo, that like the Civil Rights Movement itself edges inexorably to success, the only possible outcome when justice is on its side. Although the material may be too emotionally sensitive for some, most will appreciate the unsentimental, unsensational, respectful delivery.

Emmett's famously bloated and disfigured face haunted us almost 70 years ago from the pages of Jet magazine, and it is no less disturbing now in Till. It's just that we have matured enough to face down realism for the greater good of facing down racism.

"We do the best we can." Mamie

One of the year's best movies.

Till is essential but deeply harrowing viewing.

It follows the events and aftermath of the lynching of young Emmet Till and the dogged pursuit of justice by his mother.

As you can imagine, the story is incredibly disturbing. It is not an easy watch at all. It is important to note that the violent acts themselves are not shown on screen, however the truly shocking aftermath is shown and this is an image that will never leave you.

I don't think much more needs to be said about the story. It speaks for itself and is full of impact, feeling, raw emotion, and power.

This is backed up by the brilliant performances. Jayln Hall is superb in capturing the boyish charm and excitement of young Emmett. But really this film is all about Danielle Deadwyler as his mother, Mamie. She is superb. Her performance will break your heart.

An essential film that must be watched.

Although this is a good film about such an important event, I can't help but feel it doesn't capture the audience as it needed to?... I was left feeling very frustrated at the fact you watchin ed as a matter of course rather than feel involved in the situation and the strength of feelings running so highly Why did the director not let the viewer see the horrors of what took place in that barn?..it was the key to the whole history of what happened, not only to this young man but many many others at this time in history!

I can't help but feel that although you may mention this film to a friend!...will you talk about it in six months?... I doubt it... will it be remembered for what it should have been...not at all!!... Better direction who knows how to engage the viewer could have improved this movie massively....

I felt compelled to write a review after reading the one star from another white reviewer. I am white myself, and I couldn't disagree with that reviewer more, Who denounced the Director for her choices and seems to think the white perspective is always the more accurate one. They completely missed the point. This wasn't a story about white racism, this was a story about the power of of a Black mother, and her ability to reach beyond her own tragedy to better the lives of Black people everywhere in this country. This was a celebration of her, as it should be. This was a powerfully executed movie in every respect, and that's all that needs to be said. Well done.