The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till

Tremendously powerful, straightforward documentary about the horrific lynching of a black teen in 1955 Mississippi for whistling at a white woman, and the pathetic lack of justice that followed. The incident itself helped launch the modern civil rights movement.

The film is mostly simple interviews with Till's surviving family and friends, and a few other witnesses to the events , interspersed with some stills and bits of news footage from the time. But a story this strong doesn't need a lot of gloss, and if the film feels almost amateurish at moments, that pales before its heartrending, infuriating, and terrifying story, made real by the memories of those who were there.

The film was responsible for re-opening a federal investigation of the crime, 50 some odd years after the fact, with the hope of finally bring some justice and closure to the noble and brave Till family, and to all African-Americans, for whom this crime represents the worst of America.

An important moment in recent history that should never be forgotten