Nickel Boys: Review

30th November 2024

Nickel Boys: Review. By Daniel Rester.

An orange glistening in the sun. Pencils falling from a classroom ceiling. A sky hanging above a bicycle rider. An alligator striking out on a dark city street.

Those are just some of the many memorable images seen through the eyes of the lead characters in Nickel Boys. And I mean that literally. RaMell Ross’ film, based on Colson Whitehead’s acclaimed 2019 novel of the same name, makes the bold choice of executing its story with first-person point-of-view cinematography throughout. A number of films have employed POV shots heavily in the past, including Lady in the Lake (1947), Enter the Void (2010), and Hardcore Henry (2016), but none have felt as moving and singular as Ross’ film.

Nickel Boys, which Ross co-wrote with Joslyn Barnes, takes place in Florida during the Jim Crow era. It follows Elwood (Ethan Herisse) and Turner (Brandon Wilson), two African-American boys who become friends while living at a reform school called the Nickel Academy (which is based on the real-life Dozier School for Boys). They try to help each other as the corrupt administrators abuse – and even kill – children at the academy.

Elwood is first presented as a contemplative kid with a bright future ahead of him. He lives with his grandmother Hattie (an excellent Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor) and is curious about Martin Luther King Jr. But then he is accused of helping steal a car and sent away to Nickel. As he begins to break down while trying to help other boys at the school, he inspires the more cynical Turner. The story also jumps forward at points to show Elwood (played by Daveed Diggs when an adult) reflecting on he and Turner’s dreadful experiences.

Ross and Barnes’ writing makes Elwood, Turner, and Hattie believable and complex characters who are trying to get by in communities surrounded by hate and racism. The supporting characters are less interesting, including ones played by talented folks like Hamish Linklater and Fred Hechinger. They get the job done though. Ross and Barnes supply everyone with tense situations and authentic dialogue to play with.

From its first frame to its last, Nickel Boys feels surprising and fresh with its visual language. But Ross never sacrifices the characters or story in favor of style. He manages to avoid making the POV choices gimmicky and instead uses them thoughtfully to help us feel empathy for Elwood and Turner. Ross comes from a documentary background, having directed Hale County This Morning, This Evening (2018). His documentary skills combine with a graceful approach – akin to Terrence Malick and Barry Jenkins’ styles – in order to create a remarkable narrative debut.

Cinematographer Jomo Fray and editor Nicholas Monsour are essential to Ross’ success with the form here. Fray works with Ross and actors Herisse, Wilson, and Diggs meticulously in order to capture POV images that feel both natural and poetic. Monsour finds a fluid rhythm in displaying the approach, set to a hypnotic music score by Alex Somers and Scott Alario. The shifting POVs between Elwood and Turner, sometimes even within the same scene, never comes across as confusing despite Ross challenging the audience with his unique style.

Occasionally Ross moves away from the boys’ perspectives. During one particular boxing scene he explores the many faces and details of the environment with closeups. He also drops in footage of The Defiant Ones (1958) at times throughout the film as Elwood is a fan of the Sidney Poitier-starring movie; that classic also has similar themes to Ross’ film. These choices are mostly effective.

Less effective is when Ross decides to cut away to various news and stock footage. The footage helps tell the audience which periods of time they are in, but the trick is overused. The second half even has a few disjointed sections as the footage starts to cut in randomly.

Much of the heart in Nickel Boys lies within the performances of Herisse and Wilson. Both young men are real finds, providing soulful performances throughout. They deliver some stilted line deliveries from time to time when they speak directly to the camera, but for the most part they manage to break the barrier down and make the words feel true.

Nickel Boys has a few things that can be nitpicked at, but it’s mostly a triumph of inventive cinematic storytelling. Ross is an exciting new director who has crafted a film rich in style and emotion. Nickel Boys is one of the best films of the decade so far.

Rating: 9.5/10

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