Nickel Boys

 

      Co-written (with Joslyn Barnes) and directed by RaMell Ross, this is a historical drama set in a fictional reform school in Florida. The "Nickel School" is based on the "Dozier School For Boys", which was a notorious institution where boys were routinely beaten, sexually abused and even killed.

      Mr. Ross has a bold vision for storytelling. He shoots the film with a first person POV (point of view) and in a 1.33:1 aspect ratio. This creates an immersive experience for the viewer but it is can also be jarring and takes some getting used to. You never see the main characters on screen together (even though they may be in the same scene) as the camera switches the POV throughout the film. He also lingers the camera on various imagery which is visually poetic but can also be overwhelming. In addition, there are black and white clips that may or may not be actual footage from the Dozier school interspersed throughout the film. It all makes for a unique way of storytelling that focuses on Elwood and Turner, two boys at the school who become close friends.

      Ethan Herisse plays Elwood and Brandon Wilson plays Turner and they are both excellent. The film also co-stars Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor as Hattie, Elwood's grandmother, Hamish Linklater, Fred Hechinger, Jimmie Fails, and Daveed Diggs.

      Mr. Ross also employs some flashforward scenes that may cause some confusion for the viewer at the end of the film unless you have read the book.

      This is an intense drama with many unsettling scenes but it is also an important story that, while fictional, exposes a very real injustice.