What to watch: ‘Till’ soars on Danielle Deadwyler’s fearless performance

“Till,” a shattering account of a mother’s courageous battle to seek justice for her murdered son, revisits an important part of American history and is certain to garner awards talk. It is the powerhouse movie to see this weekend in theaters, but equally deserving are “Argentina, 1985,” on Amazon Prime, and “My Policeman” in select theaters. We even have a very clever horror film that’s flying low under the radar but is worth seeking out.

Read on.

“Till”: In one of the year’s most powerful sequences put to film, filmmaker Chinonye Chukwu locks the camera on her lead character, grief-stricken mother Mamie Till Mobley (played by Danielle Deadwyler) and just leaves it there. It’s a bold move, a risky one, and it illustrates the confidence that Chukwu (“Clemency”) has in Deadwyler. The camera stays on Deadwyler’s face as she endures a nauseating cross-examination in a courtroom presided over by a White judge and an all-White male jury. We of course know justice will not be served in the horrific murder of Mamie’s 14-year-old son, Emmett, who has been bludgeoned so badly he can barely be identified. Deadwyler summons everything in her power to convey the unfathomable pain tearing Mamie apart as she realizes that the American justice system is stacked against her. Chukwu’s film, a dramatization of the Emmet Till story, has many similarly powerful moments. But it falters when it turns to the people surrounding Mamie, including her mother Alma (played by Whoopi Goldberg) and her father John Carthan (Frankie Faison). You come into “Till” expecting a meatier role for each but it doesn’t prove out. It’s true that this is Mamie’s story and the secondary characters are indeed a small complaint in a film that offers a stinging historical reminder of America’s history of racial injustice at a time where some are seeking to prevent that history from being taught. Chukwu’s re-creation fluidly draws in other historical figures, such as Medgar Evers (Tosin Cole), who add deeper context. But “Till” belongs to Mamie and Deadwyler, and serves as a testament to the power and courage of both women. Details: 3½ stars out of 4; in select theaters Oct. 21.

“Argentina, 1985”: The burden of his country’s history weighs heavy on the tensed-up shoulders of Julio Cesar Strassera (Ricardo Darín), a family man assigned the unenviable task of prosecuting military junta leaders for their actions in Argentina’s 1976-1983 civil-military dictatorship. During this time, dissenters were raped, slaughtered and made to vanish forever. Director Santiago Mitre takes a non-fussy docudrama approach and it’s the right move. With fascism on the rise, “Argentina, 1985” warns us of the risky future ahead. Details: 3½ stars; available Oct. 21 on Amazon Prime.

“Significant Other”: Just like Jason Vorhees or Michael Myers (even though he’s supposed to be gone baby gone), the horror genre never truly dies, and it’s certainly alive now. But with countless scary features out, some goodies get lost. Case in point: This lean and mean slap to the face by writers/directors Dan Berk and Robert Olsen. It follows a hiking trip that two lovebirds (Maika Monroe and Jake Lacy) take in the Pacific Northwest and, of course, goes terribly wrong. “Other” never overstays its welcome and builds up to its shocks by having us get to know Harry and Ruth before it turns the tables on the audience Details: 3 stars; available on Paramount+.

“Last Flight Home”: In this candid documentary, award-winning filmmaker Ondi Timoner turns the lens on own her family at a profound and critical time, two weeks before her 92-year-old father Eli is planning an assisted suicide. It’s an uncomfortable subject, and Timoner unflinchingly takes us through the decision process and the act of saying goodbye to friends and family. She also shows us Eli’s accomplished life and how he is caring and loving as he learns to be at peace with his regrets and past acts that suddenly seem so much less important than they once were. The Timoner family’s willingness to let the cameras reflect all the stages of this process is admirable, but the film could have have benefitted from being pared down. Details: 2½ stars; in select theaters Oct. 21.

“The Visitor”: Crackpot horror is a genre unto itself, a go-for-broke playground where the most ridiculous plot contrivances get tossed around like a cat toy. That brings us to this entertaining, off-the-rails entry with Finn Jones (“Iron Fist’”) playing anxiety-ridden and vacant-eyed Robert, who returns with wife Maia (Jessica McNamee) to her freaky childhood home, a haunted house that announces its evilness with an edition of “Paradise Lost” slamming to the floorboards. It’s a lame jump-scare, with writers revealing their hand way too early on. Already on edge, Robert gets freaked out some more as he sees paintings/photos everywhere in town of someone who, looks a lot like him. Director Justin P. Lange never takes any of it too seriously, and that’s why “The Visitor” keeps humming along even as it goes totally bonkers near its final act. Details: 2½ stars; available to stream now om Amazon Prime and Apple TV+; coming in December to EPIX.

“My Policeman”: Melodramatic and swoon-worthy cinematic flourishes — the kind filmmaker Douglas Sirk used to specialize in during the 1950s — abound in this bittersweet tale of a tangled love that’s said to have been inspired by author E.M. Forster’s clandestine relationship. In Michael Grandage’s caressing hands, Bethan Roberts’ novel on the scars left by repressed sexuality and romantic deceit gets grandly transformed into a stunningly photographed tearjerker. Grandage’s sexy adaptation flickers from a vibrant past (‘50s Brighton in England) to the somber present as a school librarian (Emma Corrin/Gina McKee), a less cultured policeman (Harry Styles/Linus Roache; both well cast) and a museum curator (David Dawson/Rupert Everett) suffer from hiding their true wants, needs and desires. Dawson emerges as a true star. Ignore the bad reviews, this is a stunner. Details: 3½ stars; in theaters Oct. 21; arrives Nov. 4 on Amazon Prime.

“Decision to Leave”: A potentially fatal attraction pushes a married South Korean police investigator (Park Hae-il) to the emotional breaking point in this Cannes award winner. One of my favorite directors, Park Chan-wook copped the best director honor at Cannes for this destined-to-be-a-classic that’s filled with numerous extraordinarily staged sequences. “Leave” could have been a run-of-the-mill potboiler about a sad-sack detective abandoning his ethics once he meets a femme fatale (Tang Wei), there’s much more afoot here than steamy encounters and a cliched story. You’ll be thinking about the ending for days. Details: 3 stars; opens Oct. 21 at select theaters, opens wider Oct. 28.

“The Good Nurse”:  Both shocking and gripping, this true-crime dramatization features another strong performance from Jessica Chastain as a nurse realizing that a recent hire (Eddie Redmayne, in his best performance yet) isn’t the sweet guy she thinks he is. The Netflix psychological thriller is well-written and digs deep into potent themes about our secretive and bureaucratic health care system. It also features a performance that deserves to get the versatile Redmayne another Oscar nomination; it’s chilling. Details: 3 stars; opens Oct. 21 at select theaters; available on Netflix Oct. 26.

“Nothing Compares”: What triggered iconoclastic Irish singer Sinead O’Connor to rip apart the picture of the Pope during her infamous 1992 “Saturday Night Live” appearance? Director Kathryn Ferguson’s insightful documentary roots around in the singer’s damaging childhood, resulting in a feminist portrait that presents us with a celebrity who has remained true to herself and suffered the consequences. Details: 3½ stars; available on Showtime.

Contact Randy Myers at [email protected].