Directed by Chinonye Chukwu
Screenplay by Michael Reilly & Keith Beauchamp and Chinonye Chukwu
Stars: Danielle Deadwyler, Jalyn Hall, Frankie Faison, Haley Bennett, Whoopi Goldberg, Jayme Lawson, Tosin Cole, Kevin Carroll, Sean Patrick Thomas, John Douglas Thompson, and Roger Guenveur Smith
Critics have been praising Deadwyler's performance in this movie. It is wholeheartedly deserved. I knew the story of Emmett Till, but I had some issues with the historical accuracy of the movie.
Chicago 1955. Mamie Till-Mobley (Deadwyler) receives a phone call telling her that her 14-year-old son, who she affectionately called Bo (Hall) was taken from a Mississippi house in the middle of the night. Media coverage surrounded the family. Mamie learns that her son's body was found. He was beaten, shot and drowned in the local river. Consumed with grief, Mamie tries to have the men responsible for her son's death brought to justice, but justice was denied to her.
Any person of color knows about Emmett Till, Medgar Evers, James Byrd, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor. This is not knew. The black community has dealt with bigotry, racism, prejudice for as long as we were brought to America.
Over the years, I have heard the story of Emmett Till. When I watched the movie, I was struck that things that came to light over the past 20 years were not taken into consideration. I heard that Carolyn Bryant recanted her testimony. That was not mentioned in the movie.
The movie puts you in the place of Mamie as she went through the horrors of Jim Crow and segregation. Deadwyler carried this movie on her shoulders. I felt her pain. Anyone could feel her pain.
I wanted to root for this movie, but I felt like the movie was trying to manipulate you with focusing the emotions. Cool. I felt that the pace of the movie is hampered by just focusing on long lingering shots on Mamie alone in her room or closeups of taking off shoes.
I wanted to love this movie. It should be seen, but I felt that it missed the mark to make a visceral impact on the viewer.
Rating: 7/10
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