Address: Chinonye Chukwu
artists: Danielle Deadwyler, Jalyn Hall, Frankie Faison, Haley Bennett
Year: 2022
★★★
In 1955, a black boy named Emmett Till was tortured and lynched in Mississippi for allegedly whistling to a white woman; His death continues to be regarded as one of the most egregious examples of racism in all of American history.. Director Chinonye Chukwu’s new feature film recreates this tragedy by focusing on his mother, who channels the boy’s great pain into her job as an activist for the defense of the rights of the African-American community.
‘Up To The Blood’ takes a direct but respectful approach, avoiding using the plot for sensational or didactic purposes and displaying overt violence—in fact, he seems to be embracing his own touch in a somewhat exhibitionist way; instead of focusing on the brutality of murderers, focuses on the trauma that crime creates among the black community. For most of the film, Chukwu keeps the film free of the kind of narrative clichés and dramatic embellishments that Hollywood biographies usually surround, but he does not shy away from obvious sentimentality, neither in the opening measures nor in the climax. On the other hand, it is true that forensic cinema does not bother to avoid its conventions or formally distinguish itself from a telefilm.. Its sole priority is to denounce a legal and social system that perpetuates racism, and in this sense it undoubtedly fulfills its purpose.