Few filmmakers in 2024 have made choices as bold as director RaMell Ross in his new film “Nickel Boys”. Based on Colson Whitehead’s 2019 Pulitzer Price-winning novel “The Nickel Boys” and inspired by the notorious reform school Dozier School for Boys, the film was already set to tackle some heavy subject matter. But Ross shoots his entire movie from a first-person point-of-view and in a boxed 4:3 aspect ratio, an approach that is far more than a gimmick yet comes with its own set of challenges.

The story (written for the screen by Ross and Joslyn Barnes) follows an unexpected friendship born out of horrible circumstances. Set in 1962, Elwood (Ethan Herisse) is a bright and ambitious African-American boy raised by his loving grandmother Hattie (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor) in Jim Crow-era Tallahassee, Florida. Ross briefly ushers us through Elwood’s early years, showing us the world through the youngster’s eyes. In keeping with Ross’ first-person approach, we only occasionally see Elwood’s face through reflections in windows or a photo booth snapshot.

Among Elwood’s very small group of supporters is his teacher Mr. Hill (Jimmie Fails) who encourages his now 16-year-old student to apply to Melvin Griggs Technical School. Elwood is accepted and excited about advancing his education. While walking a rural highway to Melvin Griggs, Elwood hitches a ride with a garish but friendly man in a shiny Impala. But it turns out the car has been stolen and the local authorities arrest the man and falsely accuse Elwood of being an accomplice.

With no consideration given to due process, Elwood is taken to Nickel Academy, a fiercely segregated penal institution posing as a school for boys. He’s immediately introduced to the Academy’s oppressive system of forced labor and rank abuse. The forbidding administrator, Mr. Spencer (Hamish Linklater) runs the school by an edict he calls his “Four Levels of Behavior”. Reach the final level and you “graduate”. But as Elwood later learns, most people only leave by aging out or dying.

But it is at Nickel that Elwood meets someone who will forever change his life. A fellow “student” named Turner (Brandon Wilson) takes Elwood under his wing and the two quickly become close friends. It’s here that Ross shifts his perspective over to Turner, staying in first-person but showing us things through another set of eyes The rest of the film chronicles their growing friendship with Ross frequently switching between their points-of-view.

As you can imagine, the themes are pretty heavy and exploring them can be harrowing. At the same time it’s often quite moving. Ross offers a mesmerizing meditation on the Black experience that manages to find a beauty in the world that offers a sharp contrast to the ugly. Yet while the filmmaking gives us an exquisite vision of Elwood’s view of the world, the beautiful imagery lessens as the ugliness of the world becomes more of a reality for him.

The entire approach to “Nickel Boys” certainly grabs you and Ross clearly offers us a new way of considering such a story. But in the process he loses his grip a bit, specifically in the final act. There are few too many gaps in the storytelling as the movie tries to come to a close. Puzzling images are thrown in that muddle more than enlighten. Similarly, several flash-forward scenes make the finish more convoluted than it should be.

Those things aside, RaMell Ross deserves a ton of credit for tackling themes we’ve seen handled many times over but making us look at them in ways we never have before. The performances are strong throughout, especially from Ellis-Taylor. And the emotional weight they help convey form the backbone of this piercing and evocative drama that keeps you riveted, third act kinks and all.

VERDICT – 4 STARS