Danielle Deadwyler leads the way in this harrowing and all-too-relevant look back at the horrific 1955 murder of 14-year-old Emmett Till in Mississippi and its crucial aftermath. Co-written and directed by Chinonye Chukwu (‘Clemency’), the film is as important as it is beautifully crafted, and Deadwyler is flat-out incredible—along with young Jalyn Hall as Emmett, whose wide-eyed innocence and optimism makes the young man’s murder that much more heartbreaking…if that’s possible. Though not as gritty and in-your-face as, say ‘Mississippi Burning’, it’s no less gut-wrenching and is very much worth your time.

4/5 stars