Till Is a Story About the Strength of a Mother’s Love
Director, Chinonye Chukwu, approaches the well-known story of Emmett Till’s tragic death from a new perspective in the upcoming film Till.
Based on the true story of Emmett Till, the film centers around his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, and her efforts to keep his name alive. At the time of his death in 1955, Emmett Till was only 14 years old. Unfortunately, the 1950s held the jarring reality of brutal racism for Black people, no matter their age. Although originally from Chicago, Till’s mother allowed him to visit family in Mississippi. During his trip, he encountered a White woman who alleged that he made crude advances toward her. As a result, the woman’s husband and brother took severe measures by fatally torturing Till and drowning his body.
Following his death, Mamie Till-Mobley made the shocking decision to hold an open-casket funeral. His mother explained her reasoning behind this decision, “I think everybody needed to know what had happened to Emmett Till.” A service and viewing of his body took place at a church in Chicago on November 3-6,1955. In the clip below, a classmate of Till’s, Magnolia Cooksey, recounts the horrific sight of the child’s body.
The importance that people saw his body stands at the center of Emmett Till’s story, as a mutilated body can not be sugarcoated. Her efforts stamped his name at the heart of the Civil Rights Movement and inspired revolution throughout the Black community.
The recently released trailer for the film conveys the beautiful relationship that Till and his mother shared. The trailer also reveals how protective she was of him before and after his death. There is no doubt that her son was the light of her life, which Chinonye Chukwu and the cast portray perfectly.
In an interview with Good Morning America, cast members Whoopi Goldberg (Alma Carthan), Danielle Deadwyler (Mamie Till-Mobley), and director Chinonye Chukwu (Clemency) reflect on the film. Goldberg deems this film as her passion project, which has been in the making for a decade. Although all three of these women profess that giving Mamie Till-Mobley her well-deserved credit was beyond an honor, it was also their duty. They revered Till-Mobley for being a catalyst in a movement that directly impacted them as Black women.
Many Black Americans have voiced that they are tired of Black trauma in films. Thus, Chukwu made the tasteful decision not to include any violent scenes depicting Till’s murder. This shift in approach is a breath of fresh air to many in the Black community. Till proves that Black history can be told without depicting extreme violence against Black bodies. Chukwu sets a precedent for Hollywood to uphold by grounding this horrific story in joy.
“There will be no physical violence against black people on screen. We’re going to begin and end in a place of joy” – I cannot wait to see this!#TillMovie #EmmettTill https://t.co/NuNGyG047d
— Chioma Agwuegbo (@ChiomaChuka) October 3, 2022
All black stories should be created through the lens of for us, by us.
— Gozi 🧜🏿♀️ Jengu Vtuber (@NgoziMai) October 3, 2022
Exploiting black pain for the sake of educating non-black people is wrong.
Thank you @TillMovie filmmakers for finally deviating from Hollywood’s fetishization of black trauma!
I’ll be seeing this movie ❤️ https://t.co/shZVPbUTeB
Till hits select theaters on October 14 but will later debut everywhere on October 28. To honor Emmett Till and celebrate Mamie Till-Mobley’s impactful legacy, you can purchase tickets here.
