Review: ‘Nickel Boys’ Makes it Personal

RaMell Ross’s latest feature, Nickel Boys, tells an intentional story in a unique and experimental way. By using shifting POV perspective, Ross manages to personalize the story told for every audience member. It’s a hefty feat and one that depends on a perfect balance of story and technique to be successful. Thankfully, Nickel Boys employs both. 

After years spent in lockdown, it seems like the effect revealed the human nature of isolation. Rather than embracing community, humanity seemed to withdraw into itself, building a cocoon of comfortability. In a world that is aligned with the promise of meritocracy and individual achievement, how does a film about connection break through the shell? In other words, how does a well-honed medium like film permeate resistance to forward momentum and change? According to Nickel Boys, it’s about walking in the same shoes. 

It’s an important cause, especially when the film is about two boys who become impactful friends inside the walls of Nickel Academy in the ‘60’s South. Though it’s called an academy, the lessons learned are less intellectual and more abusive and soul-crushing, especially for the Black students cum inmates. We follow Elwood (Ethan Herisse) as he grows up near the end of Jim Crow and well into the Civil Rights era. He’s a passionate young man who cares as much about young love as he does about social justice. Elwood has a full heart and with the help of a teacher that sees his potential, he’s offered complimentary classes at a nearby technical college. 

The road he walked was paved with good intentions, but the same can’t be said for the drivers. Elwood gets into the wrong car and ends up being party to a bogus crime that lands him in the misnomered juvenile detention facility. There he meets Turner (Brandon Wilson) and the two try to navigate and survive all that Nickel has to offer. The audience commandeers Elwood’s perspective until he meets Turner and then the perspective shifts between the two. We only see the other in reflections causing beautiful on-screen symmetry. 

Nickel Boys also starrs Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor as Elwood’s grandmother Hattie and has notable turns from Luke Tennie as a fellow “student” and Hamish Linklater as Spencer, Nickel’s headmaster/warden. Tennie plays Griff, a troubled bully who is both a product and the cause of his environment; while Linklater serves as the arbiter of the boys’ environment. Linklater’s turn as the nefarious warden is remarkable in a way that only Linklater can deliver. His eyes alone hold so much depth that they can go from compassionate to absolutely terrifying at the drop of a dime. 

Fred Hechinger (who is having a busy year along with Gladiator 2) has a supporting role that shows the danger of generational racism being passed down into modern times. His character seems to have no specific problems with Turner or Elwood, but is ready to exercise his whiteness when he sees fit. It’s a disturbing trend shown in a casual manner that many have experienced. 

Ross along with his cinematographer Jomo Frey developed and executed a method of filming that’s similar to a VR or AR experience, but one that’s palatable for the average viewer. In a world where much of Gen Z and Gen Alpha are playing POV games, it only makes sense to use that medium to connect to them, and hopefully the broader audience. Admittedly, I was a bit worried during the first few minutes, wondering if this was going to veer into a The Tree of Life (2011) stream-of-consciousness, loose-narrative style. But I was pleasantly relieved how much the film – shot and presented in a square 1:1 format – presented its accessibility like a gift, or even a hug.

When Hattie pulls her grandson Elwood into a hug, it’s the audience that looks over her shoulder or gets lost in her warm embrace. When Spencer looks Elwood up and down, it’s the audience that can feel the trepidation and disgust in his gaze. Whether it’s the compassionate words from Hattie, or the conspiratorial glances between Elwood and Turner, Ross has managed to make the audience a part of the film and it doesn’t get any more personal than that. 

Ross previously used the method with his feature doc, Hale County This Morning, This Evening (2018), but he’s polished the technique to work beyond the ‘epic banal.’ The documentary was an exploration of an Alabama town, and the silences gave way to stunningly beautiful cinematography. Ross has refined his method so it doesn’t get in the way of a strong and moving narrative.

It was important to Ross not to show any overt violence as he wanted to shy away from creating ‘Black trauma porn.’ The atrocities at Nickel are many and they are harrowing and I was glad that we didn’t have to see it, but feeling it gave much of the desired impact. 

Herisse’s work in When They See Us (2019) impressed Ross’s team while searching for the perfect Elwood. He adds resonant and unrelenting sincerity to the role which is needed to fully flesh out his character. On the flip side, Wilson’s performance as Turner is cautiously optimistic. Turner is a survivor, but he’s not immune to needing friendship. The two build a relationship that stands strong despite several tests. Their companionship carries the film and the young men do an amazing job. 

Ellis-Taylor is always a force to be reckoned with. She has an understated role, but it’s a performance that gladly sticks with you. She’s given a couple of monologues that audiences will be chewing on days after watching. Her experienced ease makes every room she’s in feel lived in and full, like perusing a grandparent’s scrapbook or photo album. Hattie’s living room is flooded with nostalgia, from the wonky refrigerator magnets that don’t quite stick to the JFK yearly calendar. 

There are more surprise cameos along the way and Ross rounds out the narrative with archival footage that only adds to the story. Overall, Nickel Boys is a gorgeously acted and helmed film that will stay with the viewer long after watching it and will require repeat viewings to fully ingest everything. 

Movie Rating: 10/10