Nickel Boys
Presented from a first-person perspective with the camera acting as the eyes of our protagonist, Nickel Boys is a hard film to review both in terms of subject matter and in how the story is framed for the audience. The technique certainly allows the film to stick out, even when the person whose perspective unexpectedly shifts between our main character Elwood Curtis (Ethan Herisse) who finds himself in a reform school after being in the wrong place at the wrong time and Turner (Brandon Wilson) who he meets at Nickel Academy.
The film follows the pair's time at the school while also fast-forwarding decades later presented from the perspective of an older version of one of our protagonists but with the camera view slightly pulled back allowing the back of his head to remain in frame (more of a first-person omniscient perspective). I'm sure there's a reason for the choice, other than to tease a late revelation, but I found it more distracting than anything else. And with the characters not shown on-screen for most of the film, other than when looking at each other or catching their reflection, some might find it harder to connect with the characters as more than stand-ins to events.
The style of the film immerses you in the experience at Nickel while at the same time losing an understanding of the passage of time or events not in either character's direct line of sight. The passage of time, both for the characters on-screen and for the audience feels more fluid than just about any film I can remember sitting through. The effect is a double-edged sword as it become almost impossible to fit a timeline to events, especially with the integration of segments taking place years later, as you attempt to figure out just how long Elwood was a prisoner of the state.
The performances are top-notch including Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor as Elwood's grandmother who, like Elwood, is ill-prepared to deal with the situation Elwood finds himself where he will likely be stuck until he ages out of the school given how Nickel makes its money on the students' unpaid labor.
The events from the film, based on the novel The Nickel Boys by by Colson Whitehead, were inspired by the true experiences of the Dozier School for Boys notorious for the beatings, rape, torture, and murder of students. Even if Nickel Boys pulls no punches, the truth is likely far darker than the events witnessed over the course of the film.
Nickel Boys isn't exactly an enjoyable film keeping the audience off-balance with both its structure and the constant foreshadowing of how bad things will eventually get for Elwood. It is however an unusual and intriguing piece of filmmaking that I think will likely work best in a theater setting. To put it another way, Nickel Boys isn't for everyone, but I think everyone should see it, experience it, and come to their own conclusion about how well it works in putting the audience in a time and place where we can see some of the worst of humanity but also moments of hope and reflection.
Watch the trailer- Title: Nickel Boys
- IMDb: link
