Nickel Boys is a historical drama film that has become a bit of a hot topic after its selection as one of the Best Picture nominees for the 2024 Oscars, although it deserves praise even without mention of the accolades. Adapted from the 2019 novel of the same name by Colson Whitehead, the film follows a young Black boy named Elwood Curtis as he unfortunately finds himself at an infamous reform school during the racist times of the 1960s in the state of Florida. Nickel Boys beautifully tells a story of friendship and survival, while its true focus remains on the horrific systemic atrocities committed against the Black community at numerous such reform schools in the Southern USA.

Spoiler Alert

What is the film about?

Following an interesting artistic choice of shooting from the point-of-view perspective, Nickel Boys begins with the earliest memories of Elwood Curtis, back in his early childhood days.