Like an ember from a dying yet persisting fire, racial injustice continues to plague our society.

It has left a scarlet stain on our nation, one which even the most heroic, powerful, bold movements of civil rights activists failed to fully expunge. However, by conveying these lingering issues through a more digestible and influential medium like movies, one can more easily inspire change. In her film “Till” (October 2022 debut), Nigerian-American film director Chinonye Chukwu sparks a newfound urge to reform persisting racial discrimination by weaving a narrative rooted in emotion and, consequently, a desire for justice.

Based on true events, the movie centers around the racially-provoked murder of an African American teenager named Emmett Till (Jaylyn Hall) and his mother Mamie Till’s (Danielle Deadwyler) subsequent fight for justice. Growing up in Chicago, an atmosphere starkly contrasted to the still deeply racist South, Emmett lived a normal, care-free childhood - one not plagued with constant fear. Thus, when Mamie’s mother Alma proposes that Emmett visit his southern kin in Mississippi, an incessant fear for her son’s safety and his loss of innocence is instilled within Mamie. In the first scene, Chuckwu alludes to this dilemma plaguing Mamie’s mind through her eloquent manipulation of sound. The two are depicted driving in a car while a light, warm atmosphere hangs overhead, bright smiles lining their faces, an uplifting melody filling the air; yet, the music gradually devolves into incomprehensible blather, and Mamie's smile slowly withers into a blank, distressed expression. With only one scene, Chukwu’s subtle yet pungent use of sound, and Deadwyler’s unmatched ability to project emotion, effectively set the stage for the movie. Mamie repeatedly warns Emmett of the danger lurking in the south, of the differences in the treatment of African Americans, telling him to “be small.” Yet her attempts all end in Emmett’s characteristically teenage response to being told what to do: gentle mockery, and overlooking the weight of what is being said - yet another instance in the film when acting unveils a deeper underlying meaning. Before he leaves, the two dance together to Emmett’s favorite song, smiles lining their faces as they glide through the room where a child-like wallpaper is juxtaposed with the tragedy soon to unfold. Chukwu does not include such subtle details throughout this half of the film without reason; by painting a picture of a boy who has, to this point, lived a regular, innocent teenage life, the events following his arrival in Mississippi become all the more tragic.

During the train ride there, Emmett watches, captivated, as fields of cattle and cotton fly by, shining under the bright sun; yet the beauty of Chukwu’s cinematography here merely masks the horrors present underneath. From the moment he sets foot upon a southern cotton field, it becomes clear that Emmett does not belong amongst his kin. Rather than picking the cotton, he instead plays with his cousins, sternly stating that he is “done picking these fields.” Hall’s very deliberate choice of persona here - contrasting the dark history lingering, hibernating upon the cotton fields - reflects exactly what this excursion is in Emmett’s eyes: a mere vacation to have fun with his cousins. Mamie’s perspective further heightens this dramatic undertone. In frequent instances throughout this segment, she is seen struggling to cope with the relentless dread propagated by her son’s absence. In one scene, Mamie sits with her friends late at night, playing cards and drinking. With a foreboding tone, she states, “If my son could just get his feet back onto the Chicago soil, he’d be one happy kid,” an eerily powerful use of dramatic irony.

Only three days after arriving in Mississippi, Emmett’s naiveté prevails, and he flirts with a white cashier named Carolyn Bryant, proclaiming that she looks “like a moviestar.” Embodying the racial beliefs shared by the deep south at the time, Bryant feels threatened by this remark. Yet the true consequences of Emmet’s actions are revealed three days after the incident when the boys awaken to a loud banging at the door, a rude awakening akin to Emmett’s abrupt realization of the true horrors of racism. Chukwu’s use of silence here, yet another display of diverse repertoire of sound usage throughout the film, plays an impactful role in emphasizing the looming dread within the room. A group of armed white men barge into the house, wielding blindingly bright lights, and forcibly yank Emmett outside. All the while, Chukwu solemnly depicts everyone’s helpless gaze as Emmett, confused and unaware of his impending doom, is hoisted from their home - an innocent boy falling victim to the wrath of racial oppression.

The latter half of the film highlights a potent dynamic between trauma and action as a means of healing, an enthralling showcase of Danielle Deadwyler’s pungent role as Mamie. In one notable scene, Chukwu depicts a desolate Mamie whose visible despair is accentuated by Deadwyler’s superb acting; all the while, Abel Korzeniowski’s masterfully composed music plays overhead, prompting a wave of catharsis to wash over the audience. Yet, she later transforms her trauma into a motivator for change. Refusing to “fix up” Emmett’s lynched body, she instead puts it on display for all the world to see - to break away from the delusion of comfort in the north and finally take action. It is then that, through her willpower and strength, she molds her lingering trauma and despair into an impetus for change, to finally escape the cage she placed herself into and to draw out the darkness by bringing reality to light. In this way, Chukwu’s production illustrates the powerful theme of trauma as a spur for action.

Thus, “Till” embodies a work whose filmatic building blocks - cinematography, sound, acting, and screenplay - meld beautifully together to clearly convey its overarching themes. Throughout the movie, Chukwu’s acute understanding of sound in conjunction with Korzeniowski’s ability to portray emotion in the medium of music not only reveal hidden thematic details within scenes, but also greatly complement the already delicate, emotional, riveting acting within the film. In addition, dialogue rooted in sentiment further draws forth presiding thematic ideas, such as Emmett’s innocent, enthusiastic tone solemnly juxtaposed with the screams of pain, of rude awakening marked by his subsequent lynching. Yet it is Chukwu’s captivating cinematography which shines brightest, conjuring images of picturesque landscapes to underscore the darkness they conceal, of bright flashlight beams piercing the comfortable darkness, the ignorance in which Emmett resided.

By weaving powerful themes of change and healing throughout the plot, tinged by Chinnoye Chukwu’s profound understanding of emotion and sound, the movie “Till” is an impactful debut. A film rich in narrative and oozing with riveting cinematography - it deserves no less than 5 stars. Throughout the film, Chukwu echoes the message that the fight for racial equality is still a persisting effort; in a poignant message to conclude the movie, she writes that the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act was not signed until 2022 - 67 years after his lynching, 67 years of bloodshed, 67 years of an unyielding fight for freedom, 67 years of change.