[breathing heavily]
[exhales sharply]
[rotary dial clicking]
ALMA: Hello?
Mama.
Have you heard from Willie Mae?
Willie Mae? No. Is everything okay?
No. No, it's-- it's not okay.
He's gone.
-Who? Bobo? -Yes, Bobo.
What do you mean he's gone?
No, I-I-I don't know.
She said-- she said some men came and took him last night.
Men? What men?
I don't-- I don't know who.
I-I don't-- I don't know why.
I j-- I just know that he's gone,
and we have to get someone down there to go find him.
Take a breath, baby.
I'll call Gene.
You call everyone else.
Okay, I will.
We'll be right over.
Okay.
[receiver clicks]
♪♪
UNCLE MOSE: Mnh-mnh.
♪♪
-Maurice. -Yes, sir?
Take the boys and go into Greenwood.
MAURICE: Why?
Somebody gotta start looking for him.
Just go on.
♪♪
Crosby...
You'll tell Lizzie...
the boys are going to stay with family.
You think I'm letting you go down there alone?
He's my nephew, too.
♪♪
Mama.
I should have never let him get on that train.
Stop it.
-We're gonna find him. -How?
He's so far away, and you really think
the police are gonna do anything to help us?
Don't you worry, baby.
We don't have to do this alone.
Were you able to reach Daddy?
He's coming down from Detroit as soon as he can,
but he's making calls, doing his part, even from afar.
We all are. Hey, Rayfield Mooty.
Mamie's cousin, and I work
at Inland Steel with her stepfather.
Good to meet you, sir.
Seeing as Rayfield heads the Steelworkers local,
we thought he might offer some words of wisdom.
You got yourself a loyal circle, that's for sure,
but I know some real powerful folks up here.
Willie Mae.
Tell me everything.
I got the call this morning, first thing, from Curtis.
He-- he thought what he heard last night--
those white men taking Bobo-- was all a dream.
But as soon as he realized that it wasn't,
he ran to the neighbors and he called.
Did he say why-- why those men came for Bobo?
I-I-I guess there was some incident before
Curtis got down there.
At some market.
People were saying Bobo was chatting up
a white woman, being improper.
What?
What did Wheeler say?
Hallie Mae, have you heard from him?
Not yet.
H-He's on his way home.
Chatting up some white woman?
N-No.
I don't believe one word of it.
I need to hear from Uncle Mose.
Mama, can you get me that number of that neighbor of his?
Uh, you know, the one that got Bobo on the phone.
We've been trying them all morning.
-No one's answering. -What about the landlord?
-Whose landlord? -Uncle Mose's!
Oh. Fr-Frederick.
Uh, Grover Frederick.
Number's in my book.
♪♪
Hello? Mr. Frederick?
Hi, this is, um--
this is Mose Wright's niece, Mamie.
My son, Emmett, he was down there visiting...
My son. Emmett.
Emmett!
We can't seem to reach anyone down there, sir, and, um--
and-- and I need to speak with my Uncle Mose.
It's an emergency.
Can-- can you take down our number, please?
Or is there someone there that I can speak to?
Hello?
♪♪
Old man says that there's no one down there,
and he doesn't have a pencil or paper to take down our number.
Says he's hard of hearing.
He heard me just fine before I told him
who I was and what I needed.
Folks down there know what it means when gun-toting white men
storm through a house in the middle of the night.
They're too afraid to get involved.
Involved?
My son is hundreds of miles away from home,
waiting for somebody to do something.
GENE: Mamie, what are you thinking?
I'm the one he's waiting for.
I'm catching the first thing smoking down there.
Those men abducted a child.
I'm sorry, but they sure as hell
ain't gonna be intimidated by a woman.
I can't think about myself right now.
Well, what if a call comes in while you're on the train?
-Mama will handle it. -What if it's Emmett?
I can't just stay here and wait for somebody to find it
within their hearts to pick up their phone
and start looking for him.
RAYFIELD: She's right.
We need more than thoughts and prayers.
We need to organize.
You need allies up here with influence.
You need the NAACP.
You really think that they can help me find him?
I know they'll do a hell of a lot more than that landlord,
not to mention the law.
My wife and I
heard some talk.
Well, gossip.
That Bobo-- um, Emmett--
Emmett Till--
we heard that he may have said
or did something that offended a white lady.
So, you knew what was what when those men came a-knocking?
Well, sir, I knew it was trouble.
There had been a lot of talk coming out of Bryant's market,
so when I asked who was there and the voice said,
"Mr. Bryant,"
I figured it was about his wife.
I opened the door, and he stood there, uh,
behind a big guy-- bald--
who said that the lady was his sister-in-law.
He did most of the talking, and he had a gun, so I listened.
So they got the boy and drove off.
Were they alone?
I-It was dark, but when they first got there,
I think I saw a colored fella.
Uh, I-I couldn't make a face. He didn't want me to see him.
And when they was leaving, one of 'em asked
if Emmett was the right one,
and I heard a voice, a light voice--
lighter than a man's, I mean-- say he was.
Mm-hmm.
Light as in a woman?
Could've been, sir.
But you can't say for sure.
No, sir. I didn't see, just heard.
Now, you say you had a house full.
Did anyone else see all this unfold?
My wife.
She went to stay with family.
My boys are doing the same.
What about the other Chicago boys you had staying with you?
Where are they?
One's with his uncle, and the other one headed back north.
Anything else you think I should know?
Whatever Emmett may have did or said,
he ain't mean nothing by it.
The boy just turned 14.
That it?
Yes, sir.
All right, then.
I'll fill in the sheriff.
Yes, thank you, sir.
♪♪
[sighs]
Sheriff, I hate to call you on your day off,
but, um, it's them brothers again.
Coming down here is brave of you, in the midst of it all.
I'd put myself in front of a bullet
to help find my son, Mr. Wilkins.
Can you help me, so I don't have to?
You'd be surprised how quick people start caring
when the eyes of the nation are on them.
And how do we do that?
We start local.
"Hometown boy goes missing"
is worthy of a front page, if you ask me.
So you'll talk to reporters and get his name out there?
-And his picture? -Absolutely.
I'm based in New York,
but I will do everything that I can while I'm here.
In my absence, I can assure you
that the Chicago branch of the NAACP will see to it
that the local reporters will stay on top of it.
[indistinct conversations in distance]
This isn't my story to tell.
It's yours.
If you let them, people will take this story, run with it,
and do everything in their power to profit from it.
That's why I'm here.
I need a professional to help me navigate all of this.
I could talk to the press on your behalf.
I do it all the time when our people are targeted.
But this is not some voter registration retaliation.
This is a missing child.
And we need to move people to act.
And if you ask me, the best person for the job
is the child's mother.
But I wouldn't begin to know what to say or-- or--
or who to say it to.
Say his name.
Put his face, this face, in the papers,
and say it to people who can relate,
people who can see their children in the face of yours.
[sighs]
What'd you want to go down there
and get that little nigger boy for?
I don't know, but I went and got him.
What'd you do with him?
My wife said he wasn't the right one,
so I turned him loose.
What does that mean?
She said he wasn't the one who made them ugly remarks to her.
So you brought him here?
-Yeah. -And what time was that?
Late. Ain't sure.
But it was here at the market.
She didn't go down to Preacher's with y'all?
♪♪
[sighs] You really gonna make a stink out of this, George?
[scoffs] We just talking, ain't we?
Who went with you to get him?
Other than your brother.
Nobody.
Where's Mrs. Bryant now?
Family.
So y'all took the boy and brought him up here
for your wife to identify, but she said he wasn't the one.
Do I have that right?
Yeah.
Why didn't you take him back home?
Figured he could find his own way.
In the middle of the night?
[indistinct conversations]
On behalf of the NAACP,
Mr. Wilkins and his associates are gonna send telegrams
to officials all over the country,
demanding that they get involved.
He even helped me call the press.
The Black press.
So, I-I guess I gave anyone who'd listen
an open invitation to our homes.
Catch your breath.
We may not need all that.
We heard from the Chicago Police Department.
They've been getting calls from Mississippi--
three separate reports from people
who say they saw Emmett. Alive.
Wait, where did they see him?
Was he hurt?
We don't know much more than that they saw him,
but according to these tips, he's on his way home.
What? Mama!
[breathing heavily]
Thank you.
♪♪
Yes, I'm still here.
Are you sure?
It's Emmett.
E-m-m-e...
I don't-- I don't understand.
Oh.
♪♪
What happened?
Mamie?
Well? What did they say?
The police, they sent me to the Missing Persons Bureau.
But they had no leads.
All those calls were nothing more than a hoax.
Every single one of them.
What?
[car doors closing]
Mamie, look.
[indistinct conversations in distance]
That's the power of the NAACP for you.
[breathing heavily]
This is our chance. Come on.
You go.
No one wants to hear what I'm thinking right now.
MAMIE: Nonsense.
There's no woman who speaks her mind better than you, Mama.
What's the point, Mamie?
The point?
We keep getting Emmett's name out there,
and maybe the next phone call
will be the one that gets him home.
You still believe that?
I'll be right here.
Ma'am, have you-- have you heard from your family in Mississippi?
Ma'am, do you have any idea of the identity of the suspect?
Has anyone contacted you about his possible whereabouts?
Have you been in touch with the Leflore County Police?
Ma'am, The Greenwood Chronicle is reporting that three men
and one woman were involved in your son's disappearance.
Do you know who these people are?
They're covering it in the papers down there?
In the afternoon edition, yes.
Thank God.
I'm sorry. Can we start over?
-Can you repeat your question? -Sure.
Ma'am, do you-- ma'am, do you believe your son is still alive?
Yes.
Ma'am, Simeon Booker, Jetmagazine.
I think I speak for everyone here when I say
that we're willing to do our part
to make sure this story stays in the headlines up here.
We're praying for you.
I appreciate that.
You were kind enough to invite us here,
so rather than pummel you with questions,
I think it'd be wise to let you have the floor.
Tell us about your son.
Start simple. With his name.
His name is Emmett Till.
He was taken in the middle of the night
from my uncle's--
um, Mr. Mose Wright's home in Money, Mississippi.
He was taken by white men.
I think that's important.
And I want people to know that he is a good boy,
and if anyone can tell us something to help us find him,
please, I beg you, come forward.
[reporters clamoring]
Sheriff Smith, have there been any arrests?
When we have something to report,
you'll be the first to know.
This morning, you were quoted as saying the missing boy
made some ugly remarks to a white woman.
Can you elaborate? What-- what exactly did he say?
I said all I knew then.
I know about the same now.
[clamoring continues]
Y'all making a mountain out of a molehill.
NAACP really making you work, ain't they?
I'm not affiliated with the NAACP.
I'm with the Daily News.
I come up from Jackson.
And I'd like to hear from y'all.
How's this--
Northerners ain't really known for their manners.
Some of 'em come down here
and learn how things work the easy way.
Some of 'em don't.
Did I do okay?
Oh, uh, yes, ma'am.
You were great.
Emmett's, uh, 14, right? Is he in high school?
No. Junior high.
Don't let people forget his age.
It's important.
For next time.
Oh.
I hope I don't have to do that again. [chuckles]
I hope so, too.
But in the meantime, I'd like to follow your story
as close as you'll allow me to get.
As long as you keep Bobo's name in your papers,
you are welcome here at Mama's anytime.
My home, as well.
You said Bobo?
Um, it's what we call him, the people who know him.
[door opens, closes]
Everyone gone?
Nearly. Gene stayed.
He's with Hallie Mae, trying to soothe her nerves.
She should be thanking God her boy is on his way home.
If we're gonna get through this,
I need you to believe that ours is, too.
You want me to pretend?
I want you to believe.
In him.
He's had people doubting him since the day he was born.
But we knew better.
We believed in him.
We treated him like any other boy,
and that belief gave him confidence...
-[chuckles] -...and strength,
and an unbelievable will.
If anyone can fight their way out of something like this,
it's Bobo.
[chuckles] Bobo.
Do you think he'd sit well
knowing you were doubting his will?
Well, I guess a little hope never hurt anybody.
Now, that sounds like my mama.
[chuckles]
[door opens]
Wheeler. Oh, sweet boy, you made it.
[crying] I'm so sorry, Miss Mamie.
We will talk once you've settled.
Your mama is missing you something terrible.
Go on.
Mama.
Wheeler! Oh!
[both crying]
Oh, baby!
♪♪
I'm so sorry.
♪♪
EMMETT: [laughing] GOBEL: Remember, housewives,
when you go shopping tomorrow, buy some water.
Water comes in drips, drops, buckets, barrels, bottles,
and in the giant economy-sized Lake Michigan.
-EMMETT: [laughs] -[laughter]
Remember, friends, without water,
even dial sham won't poo.
-[laughs] -[laughter]
♪♪
[sighs]
Mamie!
[door closes]
Baby?
Mamie. Baby.
Mm. What?
Oh, I don't know how I ended up in here.
Wait, how did you...?
Mama gave you her key, didn't she?
[sighs] That woman.
I think you'll forgive her when you see this.
[whispering indistinctly]
They filed kidnapping charges.
Bryant admitted to taking Emmett,
but he said he turned him loose.
Mama, do you hear that? They let him go.
Our boy is smart.
He's probably hiding in the home of some nice colored family,
just waiting till it's safe to phone home.
God willing.
That white woman knows something.
She's the key.
You believe what they said?
That they can't find her?
They will.
There's a warrant out for her arrest.
A warrant.
I mean, that-- that's something, isn't it?
It's working.
People are paying attention.
[dog barking in distance]
♪♪
[vehicle approaching]
♪♪
[brakes squeak]
-[car door opens, closes] -My boys are in there.
Oh, one of my gals will be happy to watch over them
while we chat.
Ain't you here to arrest me?
[chuckling] Arrest you?
Now, where would those boys be with both parents behind bars?
I've been in touch with the family.
I'm Sidney Carlton, your lawyer.
I don't know what the Milams are feeding you,
but we ain't got money for a lawyer.
Oh. Don't you worry about that.
There's quite a bit being said about you.
About the incident at the market.
And I think it's time we heard your side.
♪♪
A group of Negroes were on the porch playing checkers.
Was that unusual?
Not at all. They were locals.
I was familiar.
Go on.
I waited on him, the Chicago Negro,
and when I went to take the money, he said,
"How about a date?"
What happened next?
A little nigger from outside came in to get him,
and when he went out the door, he said, "Goodbye."
"Goodbye, ma'am"?
How did you handle that?
I got my pistol from my sister-in-law's car,
and when I came back, the one from Chicago whistled at me.
Oh, uh, while I went after the gun,
that's when he whistled.
He didn't do anything further after he saw the pistol.
Well, thank God for that.
And thank you for coming down.
I know it can be tough,
trying to remember everything, but don't worry.
In time, you'll fill in the blanks.
We'll see to it.
Oh, one last thing.
Uh, when you told Roy about the in--
I didn't want to tell him.
But you did?
He asked.
And he was mighty upset he had to
hear from someone else first.
Well, was he planning on confronting the boy?
He didn't say.
Thought he might give him a whupping or something.
And what do you think he did with the boy?
He said he let him go.
So, if he were to say that he brought the boy
to you that same night so that you could identify him?
I told Roy he wasn't the right one.
And you have no idea where he could be now?
No idea at all.
HODGES: ♪ If you see me comin', better step aside♪
♪ A lotta men didn't, a lotta men died♪
♪ One fist of iron, the other of steel♪
♪ If the right one don't getcha♪
♪ Then the left one will♪
[humming]
♪♪
[indistinct conversations]
♪♪
I take it you're family?
Yes, sir.
Go on.
All right, let him have a look.
♪♪
Go ahead.
♪♪
[indistinct conversations]
Ollie, what's wrong?
What is it?
For God's sakes, whatever it is, let me have it.
A reporter called.
He didn't want to be the one to tell you.
They think they found Emmett. His body.
[woman gasps]
♪♪
[Alma crying]
♪♪
[pen clicks]
Where did they find him?
The Tallahatchie River.
Do they know what happened? How did he die?
OLLIE: Nothing official's come of it yet.
-Where is he now? -What?
Where is my son?
I suppose he's with the undertaker.
-Which one? -I don't know.
Then what good are you?
I need to know exactly where he is,
and if it really is him, we gotta bring him home.
Cause of death?
Single bullet to the head.
You need an autopsy to confirm it?
Well, the water damage is substantial.
How long did you say the boy's been missing?
-Three days. -SMITH: Three days.
Well, I-I've never seen such damage
in such a short amount of time.
I honestly don't see any use for an autopsy.
Well, that's it, then.
We'll be taking it from here.
Now, hold on a second.
The boy was abducted in Leflore County.
That's our jurisdiction.
We ain't talking about a kidnapping anymore, George.
We found him 10 miles into Tallahatchie County.
You're on my turf.
I say inquest complete.
Chester...
...you go ahead and release the body to the family.
Yes, sir.
Suppose I'll set up shipment to Chicago with Mose Wright?
Chicago?
Ain't no one gonna ship that body out of Mississippi.
Now, you get it in the ground immediately,
and you tell ole Mose it ain't a suggestion.
You hear me, boy?
Yes, sir.
[men grunting]
[automobile approaches]
-[engine shuts off] -Papa!
I ain't believe it when I heard.
Now, please tell me I'm seeing things.
Please tell me you ain't burying Bo without Mamie's blessing!
Now, we got strict orders from the law to bury him down here.
To hell with the law!
Quiet yourself.
Already got a target on my back.
What if it were me? Huh?
Or me?
Any one of us could've turned up in that river.
I don't know how you do it down here.
How you live.
My whole life is here.
That's how.
Not anymore.
Grandma Lizzie's heading up north with me.
Hm.
Don't you think Miss Mamie
would want Bobo on the train with us?
♪♪
[sighs]
WILKINS: It would appear from this lynching
that the state of Mississippi has decided
to maintain white supremacy by murdering children.
The killers of the boy felt free to lynch him
because there is, in the entire state,
no restraining influence of decency.
-That's his chair. -GENE: What?
We have protested to Governor White,
seeking his help via telegram,
but judging by past actions of the state chief executive...
Uh, I didn't even think...
...little action can be expected.
It's new.
He barely used it.
MAN: Wherever there is any kind of...
♪♪
GENE: You can cry.
You know that, right?
There's no prize for holding it in.
There'll be plenty of time for me to cry when he's home.
[telephone rings]
Hello?
Uncle Crosby.
Thank God.
How's Uncle Mose holding up?
What now?
No.
No, no.
D-Don't you tell me that.
Don't you dare tell me that!
[receiver slams]
They're trying to cover it up.
RAYNER: The whole city is praying for you and your boy.
Meanwhile, in Mississippi, they're trying to shove him
in the ground like he never existed.
I want him to rest where he was loved,
where he had the right to look a person in the eye.
RAYNER: I have contacts in Mississippi.
The gentleman I'm thinking of is a white man.
Chick Nelson.
I'll reach out and see if he can help us get your son home.
Thank you, Mr. Rayner.
I make no guarantees.
If your Uncle Mose isn't willing to defy the sheriff's orders,
he likely has good reason.
All this attention won't make it any easier
for your family down there.
We just appreciate you trying.
And there is a matter of cost.
I don't care how much it costs.
You bring my boy home. You will get your money.
MAN: Well, you know, they say this boy was 14,
but then when they showed the body,
he had a dong on him like a horse.
WOMAN: I feel for her, but blaming the whole state
isn't gonna help her case.
Hoodlum trash making us all look like a bunch of savages.
I hope they fry.
[sighs]
Uh, coffee, please. H-Heavy on the cream.
[mid-tempo rock music playing]
♪♪
Down here on assignment?
That obvious?
Chet Packton. I'm in from Jackson.
I'm covering for the Daily News.
Ah. Dan Wakefield. The Nation.
When I stepped off the bus from New York,
I thought I'd get right to it, so I went door to door
to see if I could get a statement.
[chuckles]
Let me just say, a few people were kind enough
to say, "No comment."
Give yourself a few days.
You'll figure out how things work down here real quick.
I take it they don't warm to outsiders.
Why do you think you're still thirsty?
[both chuckle]
♪♪
They're gonna have a tough time
finding an impartial jury down here.
Jury?
You're getting way ahead of yourself.
There's a body. And a confession.
You don't think they'll indict?
Like I said, give yourself a few days.
Can you bring us over another cup when you can, Dottie?
My friend here needs to wake up.
My God. [sighs]
The condition.
[sighs]
And if I'd have known, I-- I'd have saved you the time
of loading him up, driving all the way out here.
Sir, this child's mother had to make a helluva
lot of promises for this to happen.
Don't tell us you've changed your mind.
I hate to, but I gotta.
I'm sorry.
Can't you keep the body at Century Burial
till you find someone else willing to prep and ship it?
Absolutely not.
The law's gonna be watching us, making sure we follow orders.
Mr. Nelson, as far as the law is concerned,
that body is in the ground.
You help us now, and the story's over.
This mother just wants to see her boy again.
If I prep this body for shipment to Chicago,
I need your word you won't let her.
Won't let her what?
See the body.
You've seen it.
She shouldn't have to.
That's my condition.
♪♪
JOHN: Was the wheelchair necessary?
GENE: We don't know what's going to happen today.
If he's not on that train, God knows how she'll react.
And if he is...
[flashbulb clicks]
...well, we don't know what then, either.
[bell dinging, brakes squealing]
My God, Mamie, look at all of 'em.
[flashbulbs clicking]
They showed up for him.
What if something goes wrong, Daddy?
What if he doesn't make it?
They're here for you, too, honey.
[flashbulb clicks]
Curtis. Curtis!
[chuckles]
Oh, Curtis!
[breathing shakily]
Are you okay?
GENE: Just breathe.
[door clanking]
♪♪
[flashbulbs clicking]
♪♪
-[crying] Emmett. -GENE: Mamie.
You didn't-- you didn't...
GENE: Baby, baby, baby, baby.
No! No! Emmett!
We got you. We got you, we got you, we got you.
[sobbing]
♪♪
You didn't die for nothing.
No! My son!
♪♪
No!
[sobbing continues]
♪♪
[brakes squeak]
[engine shuts off]
Thank you for coming, Mr. Jackson.
You're asking me to spend the rest of my life
wondering if my child is in that box?
When Mr. Nelson agreed to prepare Emmett's body,
he did so with the understanding
that the casket would never be opened.
He did this under whose authority?
His own.
Mr. Nelson put himself and everyone down there at risk
when he defied sheriff's orders.
Because of him, as far as they're concerned,
Emmett's buried in your uncle's churchyard.
Until now. You saw those cameras.
I won't let them cover this up.
I won't do it.
He sealed that casket to protect everyone involved.
Including you.
I just don't think this is something
a mother could handle.
I didn't think I could handle a lot of things in my life,
Mr. Rayner, but I handled them, and I will handle this.
I am not leaving until I see my boy.
[breathing heavily]
[sighs]
We're ready.
I need to stand alone with him.
♪♪
MAMIE: Shh. EMMETT: [coos]
MAMIE: You just got here, and they're telling me I gotta give you up.
Uh-oh. I know. It's cold.
♪♪
-How you doing? -EMMETT: [coos]
MAMIE: [chuckles]
Yes.
It's good to see you.
♪♪
I want him to be free.
♪♪
MAMIE: [breathing shakily]
♪♪
No one will believe it.
What they did.
People need to know.
And you will tell them.
-Of course. -And you will show them.
Take his picture. As he is.
Yes, ma'am.
What are y'all waiting for?
♪♪
[breathing shakily]
♪♪
I want a public wake.
Tonight.
Open casket.
And I don't want you doing a thing to him.
With all due respect,
photos in a magazine are one thing,
but people are gonna see him.
Up close.
Let me fix him up s-so he's presentable.
I am not asking.
♪ There's a battle raging somewhere♪
Let the people see what they did to my boy.
♪ And its thunder shakes the ground♪
♪ A terrible silence♪
♪ When it's over♪
♪ Only death makes such a sound♪
♪ And I see, yes, I see♪
♪ On the last day of July♪