“Nickel Boys,” a haunting movie that follows two Black teenagers living in an abusive institutional facility for children in the 1960s, is a challenging, but rewarding watch. Using a first-person point-of-view for the duration of the movie, director RaMell Ross creates a unique visual language that skillfully supports a moving story of tragedy and resilience. “Nickel Boys” has already received critical acclaim, including a best picture of the year nod from the National Society of Film Critics.
The first moments of the movie share Ross’ surreal and somewhat experimental visual style. A montage of happy moments that read as hazy memories — playing on monkey bars, a glistening Christmas tree and warm-hearted family gatherings — give us an introduction to the earliest years of Elwood Curtis (played by Ethan Herisse). Raised by his doting grandmother Hattie (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor) in 1960s Tallahassee, Elwood is a precocious and well-mannered teenager who is drawn to the Civil Rights Movement. His life takes a positive turn when he gets the opportunity to receive a better education at a nearby technical college, but those dreams are soon dashed.
Elwood is hitchhiking his way to class when he is picked up by a man driving a stolen car. When the police chase them down, Elwood is falsely accused of participating in the robbery. Soon thereafter, he is sent to Nickel Academy, a segregated juvenile “reform school” in rural Florida. The Black boys there receive a poor education and are forced into hard labor or are loaned out to work for politically connected town residents. Meanwhile, the white students are provided better treatment, such as opportunities to play football and friendly reception from the staff.
Elwood and his peers suffer harsh punishment, including beatings in a building called the “sweat box.” Even worse, the Nickel staff looks the other way when some students are taken “out back” to be sexually abused or punished so severely they are never seen again. The 140-minute film is adapted from Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 2019 novel of the same name. The author based Nickel Academy on the now-closed Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys, a notorious Florida reform school with a long history of abuse. The 111-year-old facility, which was shuttered in 2011, detained hundreds of boys at a time for mostly minor offenses. Children who were abandoned or orphaned also ended up at Dozier. Soon after its closure, scores of unmarked graves were uncovered on the property, leading to a forensic investigation and excavation by University of South Florida anthropologists. Since then, many former residents of the Dozier School have come forward, sharing horrible accounts of torture, rape and abuse. As Elwood makes his way through the horrors of the Nickel Academy, he is befriended by Jack Turner (Brandon Wilson), a worldly wise fellow resident. Their bond becomes the centerpiece of the film, and Ross pulls viewers into their perspective with style. The movie trades off between the two boys’ point of view, which is sometimes confusing but often helps to put the audience in their shoes. Along with the painful moments of abuse at the school, the camera captures moments of friendship, boredom and beauty. By immersing viewers in the characters’ inescapable humanity, the movie provides another way to understand the horrors of institutional settings — a legacy that continues today in many youth prisons and residential treatment centers.
Moments of abuse, such as whippings, sexual abuse and other violence, are rarely depicted head-on, but that doesn’t mean the director is avoiding them. Ross often films these violent scenes in an abstract way, and focuses instead on sensory details such as sounds or the darkness of a room to convey the pain and terror endured by the youth. The wrenching story accelerates when Turner overhears a plan by school authorities to have Elwood killed. The two make an escape, with tragic consequences. Some of those aren’t understood until later, when the film turns to present-day Elwood. This Elwood is finding his way in New York City and has established his own moving business, though scars remain from the past. Now in the 2010s, Elwood comes to terms with his past after news stories show an investigation into Nickel Academy. As the movie ends, Elwood plans to fly to Tallahassee to give testimony about the darkness he has survived. The daring movie ends quietly, but its images and story linger long after. •
“Nickel Boys” is rated PG-13 for thematic material involving racism, some strong language including racial slurs, violent content and smoking. The movie is available to rent on Amazon Prime Video, Google Play and Apple TV.
— Reviewed by Jeremy Loudenback
