Till is a 2022 biographical drama film directed by Chinonye Chukwu (director of Clemency) and written by Michael Reilly, Keith Beauchamp, and Chukwu. It stars Danielle Deadwyler (The Harder They Fall, Station Eleven), Jalyn Hall, Frankie Faison (The Wire), Haley Bennett (Cyrano), and Whoopi Goldberg (Sister Act).

The true story of Mamie Till-Mobley's relentless pursuit of justice for her 14-year-old son, Emmett Till, who was brutally lynched in 1955 while visiting his cousins in Mississippi.

Till made its limited theatrical release on October 14th before a wide release on October 28th, by United Artists Releasing.

THE GOOD

Alright so as soon as the first trailer for this movie dropped, I was beyond excited to see it. The trailer itself was amazing, and it just had the instant feel of a movie that would be raking in the awards. I did some light research on the story Till was based on, and I was beyond ready for the October 28th release date. Unfortunately due to the fact that the film was a limited release from United Artists Releasing, I had to wait about a week longer than I had planned to see it. Don’t worry though, my excitement did not waiver and as soon as one of my local theaters made it available, I was in the car and on my way. So, was it worth the wait and was it the sure-fire contender I knew it would be come awards season? Keep reading to find out!

This movie was amazing. I went into the theater with sky high expectations for obvious reasons, and I was still blown away. Till was nothing short of incredible, and just one of those theater experiences that feels like much more than a movie. From the story, to the acting, to the phenomenal score and soundtrack, this movie simply has it all. There wasn’t a dry eye in the theater, and it wasn’t just because I saw it with a bunch of older ladies.

As a grown man who watches football religiously who could live on red meat and beer, I had tears streaming down my face at an alarming rate. I haven’t had water works like that since the dramatic and heartbreaking end to the Patriots historic undefeated 2007 season. But in all seriousness, as heartbreaking as this movie is, this story is told in such a genuine and effective way that all viewers can appreciate what these people went through. One thing is for sure, you will leave the theater with a special place in your heart for the memory of 14-year-old Emmett Till, that I can guarantee.

Till is an absolute clinic in terms of the acting. Danielle Deadwyler takes on the lead role as Mamie Till-Mobley, and it is honestly hard to put her performance into words. To say that she paid honest and genuine tribute to this story with her performance would be an understatement. This was by no means an easy role to take on, and I could feel the pain she was feeling as well as the transformations her character made from devastated and defeated mother, to strong-willed civil rights activist hellbent on getting justice for her son. Till-Mobley dedicated her life to ensuring that her sons death was not in vein, and Deadwyler exuded her strength and perseverance. Come awards season if she isn’t at least nominated for Best Actress, it will be nothing short of a travesty. She deserves all of the praise for a performance that should open quite a few doors for her as an actress.

Starring alongside Deadwlyer as her son Emmett Till is Jalyn Hall. A relatively new actor who is slowly carving out a place for himself in Hollywood, Hall was simply fantastic. In order for this story to work you needed to buy in to his chemistry with Deadwyler and you needed to genuinely care about his character, and he hits it out of the park on both accounts. From his sweet smile to his care-free attitude and genuine appreciation for the simple joys in life, Hall allowed audiences the opportunity to understand Emmett Till and just how tragic and senseless his death was. I’m looking forward to seeing what Hall does next.

Deadwyler and Hall play the primary roles in the film, but the supporting cast is amazing as well. Now although he played a fairly limited role in terms of screen time, I really loved John Douglas Thompson as Moses Wright, otherwise known as Preacher. Thompson recently took on the role of Chief Carter in the hit HBO series Mare of Easttown. Wright is Till’s great Uncle, and his character is burdened with the full weight of Emmett’s death and the circumstances surrounding it. I felt so incredibly bad for him, and the fact that he was helpless to stop his nephew from being taken, and more than that he was forced to choose his family over the only child of his beloved niece. He was put in a position that no human being should ever be put in. But as far as Thompson as an actor, he brought his character to life in such a way that blew me away. Actress Keisha Tillis plays Elizabeth Wright, the strong-willed wife of Moses Wright, who is a mother as well. One scene in particular involving Tillis and Deadwyler had me in full on tears, and I honestly cannot remember the last time a scene dropped me to my knees in such a way. I could spend an hour talking about how flawless the entire cast, was but I will let you experience it for yourself.

The technical elements were extremely impressive and a big reason why everything worked so well. Till is an intense film in so many ways, but the way that it effortlessly shifted from care-free to intense was a huge reason why it worked so well. During some of the more emotional scenes, good luck not reaching for a tissue because the odds are stacked against you. I felt like the score was about as integral a part to the film as it could be, and it was just one more reason why I loved this movie so much. It was almost as if composer Abel Korzeniowski’s score flowed seamlessly with the powerful emotions of the story. A versatile talent who has dabbled in a variety of genres, Korzeniowski clearly understands the importance of feel and the difference between manipulating audiences and providing an opportunity to experience real feelings.

THE BAD

If you’ve been reading this review, you likely guessed this section will be fairly empty. I guess if you have a sensitivity to the subject matter or have a hard time dealing with raw and real emotion, this movie may not be for you. Otherwise, you’d be hard pressed to criticize Till in any form or fashion. So yeah, that’s about it for this section.

THE VERDICT

A powerful and tragic true story told with the utmost care and brought to life by a transformative and career-defining performance from actress Danielle Deadwyler, Till is the sheer definition of a must-see movie and an experience you won’t soon forget. This movie hit hard for me, and even though I knew what was going to happen, I was not prepared in the least. It’s one thing to try and tell a story that meant so much to the history of our country while also honoring the memory of a young man who lost his life in such a senseless way, but I honestly don’t know how they could have done a better job. Till is one of those movies that will have you sitting in your seat 5-minutes after the end credits, and for good reason.

I simply can’t get this movie out of my head. I mean, this happened in 1955, just think about that for a second. The last time I had an experience even remotely similar was when I saw Ryan Coogler’s Fruitvale Station (2013), and I had to wait a few minutes just to gather myself before exiting the theater. Do yourself a favor and see Till in theaters as soon as possible, because you will be hearing a lot about this movie come award season.