Till – London Film Festival

This is based on the story of Emmett Till, a 14 year old who was lynched in 1955 and I found this incredibly harrowing and hard to watch. The film is shown through his mother’s eyes, first as she worries about him travelling and then as she tries to find justice for him. The murderers got away with it completely, and that’s just heartbreaking.

The Lost King

Danielle Deadwyler plays Emmett’s mother Mamie Till, and her performance is absolutley brilliant. You really feel everything she’s going through. It’s an emotional story and one that left the audience stunned. I could hear people all around me crying, and no one got up to leave straight away as the credits started to roll. It’s a completely gripping story and one that you don’t want to believe is true and yet it is.

A true story about Phlippa Langley, played by Sally Hawkins, who found the lost remains of King Richard III. After generations of historians thought his body was thrown into a river and lost forever, her research led to its discovery. This is one of those low-stakes true story films that is completley charming. Sally Hawkins is incredible, as always. I remember this happening in real life, but it’s always good to see the story.

There’s been a lot of controversy that’s overshadowed the film, as the University and members of staff debate their portrayal in the film. Whatever the truth is, the actual story is stil entertaining. It sent me down a rabbit hole of reading about history, which is something I always enjoy and it made me want to read the book the film is based on.

Thanks for reading,

Ashley