Nickel Boys (2024)

★★★★ RaMell Ross' dauntless creative approach to adapting the Pulitzer Prize winning novel achieves a devastating level of immersion never before seen when exploring African-American trauma

Watch Feb 23, 2025 0 1 Add to Reading List

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Dir: RaMell Ross

Cast: Ethan Herisse, Brandon Wilson, Hamish Linklater, Fred Hechinger, Daveed Diggs, Jimmie Fails, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor

RaMell Ross’ dauntless creative approach to adapting the Pulitzer Prize winning novel achieves a devastating level of immersion never before seen when exploring African-American trauma

The ongoing award season is one that has been fraught with controversy. Whether it be the use of artificial intelligence in “The Brutalist”, the lack of a intimacy co-ordinator on the set of “Anora”, or most notably the outspoken public backlash against the once hotly tipped “Emilia Perez” and its star Karla Sofia Gascon, this year’s Oscar line-up has seen most of its major plays caught up in mud-slinging campaigns. This is something to be expected this time a year, as the annual shaming of nominees has proven to be one of the most successful campaign strategies since it was initially deployed by a certain Harvey Weinstein back in 1998. Not only is this poor sportsmanship, it also has the potential to undo the hard work that countless industry professionals have undertaken over the past couple of years.

Amidst this year’s “dogfight” at the top, it becomes worryingly easy for some to forget about nominees, that for whatever reason, are not seen as plausible contenders in the major categories. One such film that has been massively overlooked this award season having recieved little-to-no media attention, good or bad, is RaMell Ross‘ astonishing period drama “Nickel Boys”. Having has its limited release delayed by two months in the US, “Nickel Boys” did not hit the big screen until the penultimate weekend of 2024, weeks, or in some cases months, after its fellow contenders had already established themselves in the Oscar conversation. This poor distribution and marketing strategy from Amazon MGM has seen the film gross less than $3 million at the box-office, an absolute disgrace given the beauty and power within the film itself. Despite conjuring up a Best Picture nomination in January, against the odds, “Nickel Boys” along with Ross, has not been recognised anywhere, despite being recognised as one of the most critically acclaimed movies of the year.

“Nickel Boys” Trailer | Amazon MGM

Adapted from Colson Whitehead‘s 2019 Pulitzer prize winning novel “The Nickel Boys”, the film serves as Ross’ narrative feature directorial debut, with his only previous theatrical release being the Oscar-nominated documentary “Hale County This Morning, This Evening” back in 2018. In what is a unique filmmaking approach, the narrative plays out entirely through the eyes of our central protagonists, African-American boys, Elwood and Turner, having the viewer walk in the shoes of those subjected to racism and racial physical abuse in 1960s Florida.

In 1962, a teenage Elwood (Ethan Herisse) is destined for great things, having been encouraged by his teacher to think for himself having excelled in his schoolwork. In his spare time, Elwood plays a minor part in the ever growing, nationwide Civil Rights Movement, led by Martin Luther King, worrying his grandmother Hattie (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor), who worries that white society will retaliate against all those involved. Having been accepted into tuition-free study programme at a nearby HBCU (Historically Black College and University), Elwood inadvertently hitchhikes to campus in a stolen car. The police intercept the driver, and Elwood is convicted of being an accomplice. Being only 15 years-of-age, instead of prison, Elwood is sent to Florida reform school Nickel Academy.

Elwood soon learns that Nickel is internally segregated, with the white students enjoying comfortable accommodations and being granted the freedom to take part in football and other leisure activities, whilst the black students are housed in squalor. During his time at Nickel, Elwood befriends fellow student, Turner (Brandon Wilson) who has conflicting opinions on the Civil Rights Movement, believing the efforts of those involved to be in vain. Having been subjected to racial harassment and physical abuse by the staff, led by white administrator Spencer (Hamish Linklater), Turner and Elwood recognise that there are only four ways out of Nickel; server your time, pray for a miracle, be killed, or…escape.

Despite taking place in different times and places during the twentieth century, there are some comparisons to be made creatively between “Nickel Boys” and Jonathan Glazer‘s haunting 2023 Holocaust drama “The Zone of Interest”. While the setting changes from Auschwitz in the 1940’s to Jim Crow-era Florida, both films explore the trauma experienced by individuals during dark days in modern history, solely as a result of their race. While Glazer’s film never visually depicts the horrors that went on in the infamous concentration camp, the audiences are still exposed to them thanks to some remarkable sound design. While “The Zone of Interest” examined racial trauma through sound, “Nickel Boys” manages to do so through sight, but not through your typical visual storytelling. Ross and cinematographer Jomo Fray astonishingly have you, the viewer, experience these diabolical crimes against humanity first hand, and by having the narrative play out from both Elwood and Turner’s perspective, there are moments where we are left in the dark as to whose eyes we are currently experiencing this bleak moment of American history through. By doing so, we are not just told Elwood and Turner’s stories, but also the story of every African-American teenager that faced mistreatment in one of many unreputable reform schools in the country.

Despite being fictitious, Whitehead’s novel is inspired by the well documented events that took place at Dozier School in Florida over a 111 year period. Up until its closure in 2011, the school gained a reputation for abuse, beatings, rape and even murder of students by the staff. Following a state inspection in 2009, the Civil Rights Division of US Department of Justice opened an investigation into the establishment, hundreds of unmarked graves were discovered, with three in four of those identified belonging to black students.

Given this extremely heavy and very real subject matter, explored in such a unique and immersive way, “Nickel Boys” will likely deter many viewers, but those who do seek it out will be left awestruck by one of the cinematic achievements of the year. Not only does the movie’s first-person storytelling fully immerse you into this horrifying environment, but astonishingly, it also happens to be a beautiful portrayal of hope and determination. With the narrative jumping between the past and the present, the flashback sequences of a younger Turner and Elwood almost appear dream-like, as if they are almost memories living on years later, not factual recreations of what happened years prior. With the story being told through youthful eyes, there is still a sense of wonder and aspiration despite the dire situation our protagonists find themselves in…they still remain determined, to dream that life will be brighter, whether this be Turner’s belief in MLK’s civil right’s movement, or Turner’s renewed lease on life having bonded with his new friend.

While the actual narrative at times may suffer as a result of Ross’ avant-garde approach, with the jaw-dropping long-takes often needlessly intercut with quickfire, historical broadcasts of MLK to further remind us that the Doctor and our protagonists live or die for the same purpose, in what is the only instance of Ross and co-writer Joslyn Barnes reaching out to hold the audience’s hand as they tell this unconventional story.

Nickel Boys is showing in Select UK Cinemas