Ever since it was announced, the movie Till has spurred a lot of questions about how it would portray its disturbing real-life events. There have been countless poems, songs, plays and documentaries about Emmett Till, whose 1955 lynching — by two white men who were ultimately acquitted — provoked a national outcry that helped ignite the American civil rights movement. But the idea of a Hollywood movie on the subject has given some Black critics and audiences pause, especially those who feel that too many films and TV shows focus on Black pain and trauma, even with the best of intentions.
Chinonye Chukwu, the director and co-writer of Till, is clearly aware of these potential criticisms. She’s said in interviews that she wanted to avoid exploiting Till’s torture and murder and instead shift the perspective to his widowed mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, and her brave pursuit of justice.