Till Parent Guide

Mamie (Danielle Deadwyler) always had reservations about sending her 14-year-old son, Emmett (Jalyn Hall) to visit his family in Mississippi. Mamie raised Emmett in the comparative safety of Chicago, but sending a black child to Mississippi in 1955 is far from safe. And when Emmett is kidnapped from his uncle’s home and killed, it pushes his mother down a hard path. Apart from the unbearable grief of losing her only child, Mamie has been thrust into a national spotlight. Her decisions about everything from his funeral to his trial will directly impact not only her life, but the lives of her family, and the ongoing struggle against racial violence in America.

The murder of Emmet Till is one of the hardest stories in American history, and obviously a film based on the events isn’t going to be an easy watch. Danielle Deadwyler anchors the film with an incredible performance, which portrays Mamie’s shift from anxiety to grief, and finally to a steely determination that is all the more remarkable for its grounding in reality. It’s a nightmare that most parents would prefer not to imagine, and the film is uncompromising in exploring the devastating reality of Mamie Till’s life.

Famously, one of Mamie’s decisions was to insist on an open casket for her son’s funeral. Emmet’s nearly unrecognizable body provoked strong reactions, forcing America to confront the incredible violence simmering within its society. As such, it’s an image that the film has to show. It’s not easy to look at, but it is so historically significant to the story that I would not imagine making this film without it. Throughout, the body is treated respectfully, with as little spectacle as possible, but if that’s something you don’t think you can handle, you should know that before you’re sitting in a theater.

Apart from that, the film is remarkably clean. There are brief scenes of smoking and social drinking, and no depictions of sexual content. Profanity is limited to a handful of terms of deity and racial slurs. Apart from painting a moving and difficult picture of one of the darkest moments in American history, and an incredible portrait of an unimaginably strong woman, Till could be a solid teaching aid in explaining to students the early stages of the civil rights movement. That said, this is better suited to teenagers than children, primarily due to the disturbing violence and social complexities. But for anyone old enough to handle those, I think this is a significant film, and well worth the emotional pain that comes with watching it.