“The Murder of Emmett Till” (2003), directed by Stanley Nelson, is a powerful and haunting documentary that examines one of the most infamous crimes of the Jim Crow era. The film, produced as part of the American Experience series on PBS, recounts the brutal murder of Emmett Till, a 14-year-old African American boy from Chicago who was killed while visiting relatives in Mississippi in 1955.

The documentary meticulously reconstructs the events leading up to Till’s murder, the crime itself, and its aftermath. Through a combination of archival footage, photographs, and interviews with eyewitnesses and family members, Nelson creates a vivid and deeply affecting portrait of Till and the world he lived in.

What sets “The Murder of Emmett Till” apart is its ability to place this singular event within the broader context of racial violence and injustice in the American South. The film explores how Till’s murder, and particularly his mother’s decision to hold an open-casket funeral to show the world what had been done to her son, became an enduring classic.