NYFF 2024 Review: “Nickel Boys” – A Powerful Adaptation!

Historical cinema that takes on the periods of slavery, the Jim Crow South, or even the Civil Rights Movement has evolved over time from their praise upon release to commentary as years followed about African Americans representation in cinema. Allowing people of color to step into roles and be the main characters in stories about themselves and their community is of utmost importance, as well as forming a cast of individuals that represent the diverse groups that make up our country.

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As historical films began being made to outline the pain and mistreatment African Americans faced for hundreds of years, it became evident that majorly representing violence, pain, and abuse and telling these stories without proper balance with other films was a disservice to the community, as some have said.

Nickel Boys, based on the book The Nickel Boys by Colston Whitehead, takes place during the Jim Crow era following a group of boys in a “reform” school and the mistreatment and abuse they face. RaMell Ross through his directorial and screenwriting work has developed an unforgettable film that utilizes his expressive and distinct style of filmmaking to do exactly what a film should, use the medium to impact its audience through brilliant editing and structure with immense respect for his subjects.

Elwood (Ethan Herisse), a smart and quiet young man finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time, resulting in being shipped off to Nickel Academy, a school that wishes to reform its segregated Black men back into society (or so they say). One day Elwood meets Turner (Brandon Wilson), thus begins RaMell Ross telling a story that rings true to the harsh reality of young Black boys in the Jim Crow era and how there was rarely a happy ending in sight.

Nickel Boys is largely powerful and impactful through the style of Ross’s filmmaking rather than harsh images that evoke a strong reaction. He crafts the film in an intimate manner that allows his audience to sit and fill in the gaps of his storytelling, resulting in devastating ideas and imaginings. He structures the film in a way that mirrors a sketchbook of happenings chronologically, with some time jumps along the way, that display a mental and physical catastrophic period of time in Elwood and Turner’s lives that halts their dreams and futures.

Nickel Boys takes a different approach to its characters in that it is shot entirely from a POV camera angle of various characters, mostly from Elwood and Turner’s perspectives. This creates a variety of shots that tell the story as each boy sees it, ranging from extreme low angles as they lay down, mirror reflections that give the audience a portrait of the boys that the POV hinders at times, and off-kilter shots to signify other related experiences. This seems to be one of the criticisms, some saying is gimmicky to the storytelling.

However, RaMell Ross’ creative decision that sets it apart from other films on the same subject or genre of drama is a disservice to criticize due to the fact that it gives us an entirely non identical experience in a genre that often uses harsh imagery to evoke emotion. There are times when imagery is powerful in getting a point across but Ross’s ability to create such an intimate relationship with said characters is admirable and strengthens the film.

Nickel Boys has a strong cast of actors that range from newcomers to incredible performers like Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor as Elwood’s mother. Although this critic has never read Whitehead’s novel, it goes without saying this is a strong adaptation that should be the blueprint for the jump from book to screen. It is beyond apparent that Ross took a novel outlining a period of time and the situations the boys deal with and used the bare bones to develop his own artistic take on a story that is found in a lot of manuscripts. He uses the medium of film to express his passion for the story and utilizes cinematic techniques to tell his audience more than words on a page ever could. The emotion that is evoked by Nickel Boys is testament to a filmmaker with a big career ahead of him.

‘Nickel Boys’ Rating – 4/5

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