A beautiful orange tree… a boy lying in the grass, we’re treated to extreme close-ups and upside-down views in the opening of Nickel Boys. While unconventional camera work can be gimmicky, writer/director RaMell Ross shot the film in a first-person POV to get viewers to see the world through the characters’ eyes.

Set in the early 1960s Tallahassee Florida during the Jim Crow era, 17-year-old Elwood Curtis (Ethan Herisse) is a bright African-American boy who seems to have everything going for him. Growing up with a loving grandmother Hattie (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor), Elwood has been inspired by the speeches of Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. he watches on rows of TV sets through store windows. Elwood’s face is rarely shown, but the movie lets us feel what it might be like to step into his shoes.

He’s got his sights set on college and it’s on his way there that his life changes drastically when he gets a ride from a guy in a stolen car. A white cop catches the black driver, brutally yanks him out of the car and Elwood is implicated. As he’s underage, Elwood gets sent to a reform school called the Nickel Academy. You’d think it’s better than prison, but of course, Elwood learns the hard way soon enough. I had seen this film before Small Things Like These, but it would make an interesting double feature. Both explore how institutions meant to assist the marginalized end up mistreating them instead.

Elwood strikes a friendship with another black student, Turner (Brandon Wilson) whose outlook on life is far less idealistic. Turner has grown cynical, perhaps more so the longer he stays at Nickel where the segregation is palpable. The white boys get to play football while the black ones can only watch, plus they get to do manual labor in the field. The ruthless schoolmaster really comes down hard on the black students It’s a bit surprising to see Hamish Linklater in this role since he doesn’t strike me as the intimidating type, but he actually pulls it off pretty well.

Ross and his co-writer Joslyn Barnes adapted the screenplay from Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book. The Nickel Academy is a fictitious version of Florida’s historic Dozier School For Boys where black boys faced brutal beatings, sexual abuse, and even murder. Ross has shown hints of racial injustice and violence right from the start, like when Elwood’s caring teacher, Mr. Hill (Jimmie Fails), shared how he got the scar on his face from a white guy attacking him with a tire iron.

Thankfully, Nickel Boys doesn’t linger on the pain of black characters. When the violent beating does take place, Ross diverts his attention to a trembling hand or a bare wall. Still, he ensures we really ‘experience’ the beating through the harsh sounds of grunts and the crack of a whip, making it all the more intense and raw. Occasionally, black-and-white photos flash on the screen with each sound of the lash. The less is more approach really packs a punch, much more so than gratuitous violence. Just look at how Jonathan Glazer used sound in The Zone of Interest to create such a strong impact.

The film moves between different periods, incorporating archival footage to show the actual historical events (MLK speech, Apollo 8 launch) and mixing it with the fictional story of Elwood and Turner, with Daveed Diggs playing the adult Elwood who now owns a moving company. Though he’s no longer confined within the school wall, it’s clear that the experience still weighs heavily on him. We’re shown that Elwood is researching the school on his computer and seeing pictures of mass graves on that site rattles him.

Herisse and Wilson are both terrific and ably carry the film as Elwood and Turner. Interesting to see Fred Hechinger once again here after Thelma and Gladiator II, he plays a Nickel employee who supervises the convict labor program. I’m a big fan of Ellis-Taylor who always makes an impression even in limited screen time. Most notably when Grandma Hattie tries to see Elwood at the school but is met by Turner instead. She talks directly to the camera, placing us in Turner’s POV who receives her warm embrace. It’s warm and devastating in equal measure. Ross really puts viewers through the wringer with this intensely emotional and gripping tale. 

The movie presents key moments from two angles, first through Elwood’s eyes and then from Turner’s perspective, really emphasizing how the camera acts as the viewpoint for both main characters. The one drawback I see with this style is it robs us of connecting with the actors via their facial expressions. In addition, the non-linear timeline and unconventional narrative can be a bit confusing since I hadn’t read the novel, but for the most part, it keeps me engaged for the 140-minute runtime. It certainly helps that the cinematography by Jomo Fray is quite stunning.

Nickel Boys is a moviegoing experience unlike any other, that’s saying something considering this is Ross’ narrative feature debut. The daring and unique approach might not resonate with everyone, but I think the risk of trying something new is worth it. It’s one of the most evocative and immersive films I’ve seen this year that leaves me shaken long after the end credits roll.

Have you seen NICKEL BOYS? I’d love to hear what you think!

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