True Stories 58: 20s—Till

Some stories have got to be tough to write, and the recent Till [2022] by Michael Reilly, Keith Beauchamp and Chinonye Chukwu, is definitely one of those stories. The decisions the writers made to tell this story are interesting.

When you’re dealing with a horrific piece of history, there are many ways to approach it. This film could have been all about young Emmett Till’s life and trip to visit his cousins and climax with his lynching. Or the film could have been all about Till’s accuser and her life—what it was that made her feel this accusation was justified—and did she regret it? Did she think, that, when he was lynched, she’d done a horrible thing? Was she pressured by her husband to do this? What was her motivation? What kind of society did she live in that made her think this was an acceptable thing to do? The film could also have focused on law enforcement. Was there one, perhaps, lower-level officer, for example, who saw that this was wrong and wanted to stop it proceeding to the horror of a lynching? It’s hard to imagine that every single person involved in this story was willing to sacrifice the life of this boy. But, of course, any defender of the boy would be ostracized by those who wanted the lynching to take place.

In other words, there are many stories here one could tell. The screenwriters chose to tell us Emmett’s story, of course, but then it became a story about a mother’s determination to expose the racism that caused the death of her son. And it’s powerful.

Take a look at the trailer for the film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkQi6GBwmSA

In the beginning, it looks like a small story, doesn’t it? A boy is going on his first trip away from home. And, let’s face it, anyone who has even a small knowledge of the racism in the South and the lynchings that took place, knows the story of Emmett Till. And that story becomes bigger than we could have imagined. Because Till’s mother makes sure everyone knows what happened to her son. She is determined. And that determination becomes the engine that drives this story.

What one person can do in the face of not just a biased system, but prejudiced people, is what this story is all about. One person made sure that everyone knew the name Emmett Till and would never forget it. The screenwriters have taken an iconic character—and his mother—and made them not just symbols, but human.

And that’s something that’s good to remember as you tackle writing your true story. You need to emphasize the humanity of the story you’re telling.

Next week, a different kind of story about young boys—Thirteen Lives.

Copyright © Diane Lake

23Jul23

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