Emmett Till’s life was cut short in the most horrific way. Is there any way to mine entertainment from his murder—and his mother’s grief? This movie makes a strong attempt.
, often with little nuance or consideration for Black audiences, Till’s story seems ripe for salacious, graphic depiction. At the very least, it’s well-suited for a reductive history lesson aimed at uninformed white people.does a decent job avoiding these traps. It is, indeed, a story about a mother’s love: It focuses heavily on Mamie’s grieving process after Emmett’s death and her resilience as she testified at his trial in Mississippi, which ended in his assailants’ acquittal.
It’s easy to imagine a more conventional biopic zooming out of these heartfelt interactions and capturing the frenzy surrounding Emmett’s trial. An Aaron Sorkin- or Steven Speilberg-directed version of this story would inevitably feature activists passionately debating organizing strategies, while journalists scramble to relay the events of the trial over a rotary telephone. Of course, there’d be a dramatic appearance by Martin Luther King.
Chukwu, however, finds the compelling aspects in private, one-on-one moments. She even downplays what should be the most theatrical part of the film, the trial, to a degree, with the exception of Mamie’s moving testimony. The cruelty of the judge, defense attorneys, and even the prosecuting sheriff, who in another film would be a heroic ally, feel mundane.Still, the question remains as to whether this story necessitates the glossy motion-picture treatment.
Moreover, the script doesn’t do much to subvert or deepen our understanding of Mamie beyond the image of her as a heartbroken mother. It’s hard to imagine Hollywood making a film about Mamie that doesn’t center around the lynching of her son.
Overall, Chukwu does the best she can with some rather bleak material— something she’s no stranger to, as her last feature was 2019’s, about a Black man on death row. However, I’m not sure that even the most ideal adaptation of Emmett and Mamie Till’s lives would be enjoyable to watch, as opposed to reading a book or watching a documentary about them.