Nickel Boys

Rating 6/10

I admire any film that shines a light on a grave injustice. Adapted from Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name, this drama recounts the real life horrors based on the Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys in Florida. While the account is a compelling exploration of abuse and resilience, its execution had me on the fence.

Elwood Curtis (Ethan Herisse) is a bright Black teenager in 1960s-segregated Tallahassee, Florida. Raised by his loving grandmother, Hattie (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, in a quietly powerful performance), and inspired by the speeches of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Elwood believes in nonviolence and the power of justice.  However, his life takes a tragic turn when he hitches a ride in what turns out to be a stolen car and is wrongfully accused of being an accomplice. He is sent to the Nickel Academy, a reform school in 1960s Florida that promises to “shape boys into men” but is, in reality, a place of corruption and violence.

At Nickel, Elwood finds an ally in Turner (Brandon Wilson), a cynical and pragmatic fellow whose survival instincts stand in stark contrast to Elwood’s unwavering idealism. Their growing friendship becomes the emotional core of their saga as they endure the academy’s terrors and plot an escape.

Director RaMell Ross (Hale County This Morning, This Evening) takes some bold risks with his second feature. He employs an experimental approach that uses a unique first-person point-of-view (POV) filming technique to present the world through Elwood’s eyes in the beginning and later through Turner’s.  That’s an intriguing choice, but it also comes at the expense of a comprehensive portrayal of the events.

As Elwood’s suffering at Nickel intensifies, the atmosphere becomes undeniably bleak, but we are not privy to much of the torture that supposedly occurs. While the intimate POV creates a sense of immediacy, it can feel disorienting at times; I remain unconvinced that the first-person cinematography does justice to such an important story. The approach often made me acutely aware of the director’s presence; It challenges the viewer to interpret events through fragmented, subjective experiences that ultimately obscure Nickel Academy’s full horrors.

The restrained depiction is a bold choice, given the disturbing legacy of the nonfictional correctional facility. Elwood’s agony is deeply felt, and the narrative shies away from exposing the institution’s systemic cruelty. As a result, the picture embodies a grim mood rather than offering a comprehensive examination of its subject. It prompted me to research the real Dozier School, where investigations uncovered 55 unmarked graves —chilling evidence of the institution’s decades-long history of abuse.

Despite its flaws, Nickel Boys details a tragedy that demands to be heard. While I admired the ambition of Ross’s direction, I found myself longing for a more straightforward narrative to match the gravity of the tale it seeks to tell. Nevertheless, it admirably shines a light on a dark chapter, ensuring that the lives of those who suffered at institutions like these are not forgotten.

12-05-24