Last week, we received our first taste of the upcoming historical drama, Till, in poster form, and today we’re being treated to a few new peeks via a collection of key images. While typically, first look photos are primarily centered around the cast of the film in full costume while shooting scenes, this batch is a little different. Drawing audiences in not only with the touching and heartbreaking story that she’s aiming to tell, director Chinonye Chukwu is also hoping to connect with viewers through a series of shots that show her working alongside the actors, pulling the curtain back and allowing us to see how the creative process was carried out.
Till will tell the true and stomach churning story of Emmett Till (Jalyn Hall) and his mother, Mamie Till Mobley (Danielle Deadwyler). The year is 1955 and a 14-year-old Emmett and his mother are living in Mississippi. It’s just one year after desegregation laws were passed nationwide by the Supreme Court in Brown v. Board of Education, and tensions are still running high. Just as it is today, racism continued to have its hold on America and Emmett soon found himself caught in its crosshairs. One day while shopping at a local store, he was accused of harassing a white woman, and was soon brutally lynched by a mob of angry white men. Following the horrifying incident, his mother, Mamie, would become an outspoken activist and leader in the civil rights movement, making sure that no one would forget the disgusting and horrifying atrocities that claimed the life of her son.
The images released today take us back almost 70 years with the cast of Till dressed in outfits to reflect the time period. In two photos that give us the behind-the-scenes look we mentioned above, we see Chukwu leading her stars, Deadwyler and Hall. In one image, we see Deadwyler in the passenger seat of a classic car, looking to Chukwu for guidance on her next steps in the scene. The moment captured between Hall and the filmmaker is a bit foreboding as we see the two looking at jars full of candy in a store. While, at first glance it appears to be an innocent enough moment, it’s presumably in this scene that Hall’s Till will be accused of harassing the white woman.
Another picture depicts the outside of the store with Hall, in full costume, pausing for a moment before heading inside. Outside, we see men playing cards and other games on a beautiful afternoon just before disaster would strike. The close, tight-knit relationship between Emmett and his mother is on full display in the following shot where we see the two, dressed to the nines, strolling alongside one another on a train platform. Finally, the last picture reveals devastation in Mamie’s eyes as she holds a stack of papers and speaks with a friend, possibly surrounding the news of her son’s murder.
Along with Deadwyler and Hall, the feature will also be led by Frankie Faison, Haley Bennett, and Whoopi Goldberg. You can see the photos below and catch Till when it lands in select theaters October 14, opening everywhere on October 28.
