Run time: 130 mins

Chinonye Chukwu’s moving biographical drama tells the landmark story of Emmett Till and a significant turning point in American history.

In middle-class 1955 Chicago, war widow Mamie is nervous about sending her 14-year-old son Emmett to visit his cousins in Mississippi, warning him to be careful not to violate Jim Crow laws. Following an innocent flirtation with a female shop clerk, he is found murdered at hands of white supremacists. As the killers’ trial unfolds, Mamie defiantly faces the jury of white men and a legal system heavily weighted against the truth. And while activists want to raise national attention for the civil rights fight, Mamie just wants justice for her son.

Beautifully designed, shot and edited, this also a film deeply rooted in emotion. Danielle Deadwyler’s central performance is both steely and deeply wrenching, depicting a powerful, intelligent woman who turns her grief into action.

Till’s horrific death forced America and wider to confront the reality of violent bigotry, starting reverberations that continue to be felt today. And even as this film depicts the vast changes that have been made over the past half-century, it’s also a reminder that we’re not there yet.