Each year, awards season opens up many films to new audiences that might otherwise go unnoticed. And this despite its quality. This is the case Nickel Boys, an adaptation of author Colton Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book of the same name. The story, which tells of racist violence in an American boarding school, is necessarily harsh and controversial. But director RaMell Ross also turns it intoin contemplation of redemption and the search for truth.
To achieve this, the director makes the smart decision to turn a carefully crafted novel into a first-person story about its characters. The subjective camera becomes an effective tool for exploring the life, suffering and secrets of Elwood (Ethan Cole Sharpe as a child and Ethan Herisse as a youth) as he tries to survive at Nickel Academy. Last, segregated reform school during a time of greatest racial tension in Florida.
So, the film accompanies its protagonist not only in everyday life, but also in the secrets that the Academy hides. Most of the black students suffer from violence, and step by step the plot shows that there are even real crimes that are hidden among those responsible for this place. A point of view that allows us to analyze the roots of racism and discrimination as a structure in which indifference, cruelty and violence prevail. Evil, which is based on the film, the adapted screenplay of which was also written by the director. Explore with sensitivity and honesty.
A tough look at a complex problem
Like in Colton Whitehead’s book, Nickel boys spend time learning about Elwood’s life. A teenager grows up in Florida during turbulent times. Jim Crow laws, which limited the rights of African Americans throughout much of the country, become the context for their behavior. Especially through participating in civil rights protests and becoming a youth leader almost by accident. He is also an outstanding student who dreams of going to university to become a representative of his community. Plans and interests that are shown in the film as an integral part of his life.
Therefore, having been accused and convicted of a crime in which he was an unwitting accomplice, Nickel boys It gets darker and more painful. The director manages to match the mood of his hero, turning the visual part into a brilliant cinematic experiment. This is by turning Elwood’s point of view (captured through extreme close-ups and extreme long shots) into a way of understanding a corrupt system. Gradually, the optimistic and worldly atmosphere with which the film begins, It becomes a scene of degradation, fear and pain.
This is when a character is sent to Nickel Academy as part of their sentence. It is a public reform school where white students receive an education and treatment completely different from what African Americans suffer. From ramshackle classrooms, beatings as punishment, and even forced disappearances. The director manages to give Elwood the appearance of a secretive and fearful observer. This allows him to more honestly and sensitively describe the terrible conditions he has to endure. And this is without falling into melodrama and without simplifying the main issue you want to tell.
Friendship can save lives
But, despite its tragic atmosphere and moments of outright cruelty, Nickel boys It also explores how Elwood manages to stay upright in the midst of adversity. Turner (Brandon Wilson), one of the reform school’s veterans, becomes both his guide in the midst of a violent situation and his closest friend. Both will support each other in the midst of the abuse, cruelty and corruption of the system that keeps them locked up. But at the same time, preserving the best of everyone amidst a terrible stay at the establishment.
Most of the credit Nickel boysis to avoid falling into platitudes from films with similar themes. Before this, both Jomo Fray’s photography and approach to the script were more interested in the ability of their young heroes to survive. Not just physical violence. And also to the loss of future opportunities, well-being and even family ties. The images then become emotional, with sequences fairy-tale air, allowing you to dive deeper into the inner world of his heroes.
However, the film does not forget the tragedy behind the scenes of the reform school. Much of the film’s interest lies in uncovering what actually happened on the grounds of the correctional facility. Something that adult Elwood (Daveed Diggs) is eager to discover. On its last stretch, Nickel boys He brings all of his scripts together into a moving conclusion that provides answers while also depicting the horror of racism. Likewise, remember that no matter what—and this is perhaps the film’s most difficult message—hope and life prevail. What makes the film one of the best dramas of the year and perhapsbig surprise in future Oscar nominations.
Source: Hiper Textual
