Monday Night Cinema

Nickel Boys

Florida, the 1960s. African-American teenager Elwood (Ethan Herisse) is sent to the Nickel Academy reform school after being falsely accused of car theft. There, he meets and befriends fellow inmate Turner (Brandon Wilson). Together, the boys dream of freedom as they attempt to endure the abuses inflicted upon them by the school’s cruel officials. The two teenagers’ shared experiences create a bond that will have ramifications for decades to come.

In this extraordinary adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s novel, director RaMell Ross boldly tells the story almost exclusively from the first-person perspectives of the two main characters. It’s an audacious formal gambit that pays off to stunning effect: this is a vital reckoning with history and one of the best American films of recent years.