The dramatic film “Nickel Boys,” directed by RaMell Ross, takes Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 2019 novel “The Nickel Boys” and has made the book into uniquely visual cinematic art, resulting in one of the most acclaimed movies of 2024.
Orion Pictures, a subsidiary of Amazon MGM Studios, is releasing “Nickel Boys” in theaters on Friday. “The Nickel Boys” book is loosely based on the real-life story of the Florida School for Boys, also known as the Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys, which was a state-operated reform school in Marianna, Florida, from 1900 to 2011. This reform school was shut down after lawsuits and investigations uncovered that children were abused at the school for decades.
Ross co-wrote the “Nickel Boys” screenplay with Joslyn Barnes, one of the producers of the movie, which takes place from the late 1950s to 2003. In “Nickel Boys,” Elwood Curtis (played by Ethan Herisse) is an intelligent and socially conscious 16-year-old who’s about to turn 17, when he is wrongfully convicted of car theft and sent to an abusive reform school for boys in Florida called Nickel Academy. There, he meets and befriends street-smart teenager Jack Turner (played by Brandon Wilson), who likes to be called by his last name. Supporting cast members in the movie include Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor as Elwood’s widowed grandmother and Daveed Diggs as the adult Elwood.
“Nickel Boys,” which features extreme close-ups and other artful “point of view” cinematography from Jomo Fray, has been racking up awards recognition at several events, including a nomination for Best Motion Picture – Drama for the 2025 Golden Globe Awards, and being named one of the American Film Institute’s Top 10 motion pictures of 2024. Other accolades for “Nickel Boys” include 2025 Independent Spirit Award nominations for Best Feature and Best Cinematography. At the 2025 African American Film Critics Association Special Achievement Awards, “Nickel Boys” is set to receive the Karen & Stanley Kramer Social Justice Award, while Herisse and Wilson are the recipients of the Gen Next Award. In a separate ceremony, the 2025 African American Film Critics Association Awards will honor Ross with the Spotlight Award. And at the 2024 Gotham Awards, Ross was named Best Director, while Wilson received the prize for Breakthrough Performer. Here is what Ross, Herisse, Wilson, Ellis-Taylor, and Diggs said when they gathered with “Nickel Boys” co-stars Fred Hechinger and Hamish Linklater for a press conference at the 2024 New York Film Festival in New York City.
Ethan and Brandon, you both had to wear cameras to get the unusual point-of-view angles that are in “Nickel Boys.” How would you describe the experience?
Herisse: When you start acting, one of the first things you learn is, “Don’t look into the camera. It’s not something you acknowledge.” Whereas in this experience [of making “Nickel Boys”], you always have to be [looking into the camera]. So, it’s a bit of un-learning and finding a way to connect and move in a way where you’re not looking into a lens but looking into Turner’s eyes or Elwood’s eyes. It took some time. Brandon and I were able to work together before shooting scenes, so we were able to get a rhythm and get an understanding of how scenes would go.
Wilson: My experience was parallel to Ethan’s, seeing that we were two different perspectives, looking into each other’s eyes. … We were always very present with each other.
Aunjanue, can you talk about why you wanted to work with RaMell Ross after you saw his Oscar-nominated 2018 documentary “Hale County This Morning, This Evening”?
Ellis-Taylor: I’m from southwest Mississippi. And often, when I see documentaries or photography about the South—particularly Black Southerners—I feel that it can be exploitative, insulting. But I saw “Hale County,” and I felt that I was watching something that was familial. I felt witnessed. I didn’t feel like something in a fishbowl. Two years later, I heard [Ross was making another movie], and there might be a part for me. I said I didn’t care what it was. I just wanted to be a part of it.
Daveed, the character of adult Elwood does not have his face fully shown for much of his screen time in “Nickel Boys,” which mostly shows what adult Elwood is seeing, or shows adult Elwood with his back to the camera. What was that like for you to film?
Diggs: The first time I read a script, I read it like I’m reading a novel. I’m not really thinking about who ‘m going to play. I’m just thinking, “Do I like this thing?” I read [the “Nickel Boys” script], and I loved it. was taking to RaMell, and he was explaining to me what was going to happen: “You’re wearing the camera, but it’s behind your head.” I was like, “This sounds wild. I’ve never done anything like this before, and I’m sure I’ll won’t get to again.” … It was super-technical but also really fun. I got to work with great actors, do some great scenes. It was an incredible experience for me.
RaMell, “Nickel Boys” takes place in Florida, where there’s been a push to erase Black history in school education, ban books by Black authors, and dismantle initiatives for diversity, equity, and inclusion. How did that affect the “Nickel Boys” filmmaking process for you?
Ross: I love the question because all the wild and devastating yet unsurprising things that are happening to sort of reverse the things that we call progress toward visual justice or some sort of equality are all things that push us to be more … intentional and to burrow down even further in what we were doing. … Films are unconsciously powerful, obviously. Knowing that this was happening in Florida, knowing that it’s happened in Texas, and it’s happened all over the country, and having it be so current with our editing process makes us even more strong-willed to get this thing [“Nickel Boys”] in front of the largest audience as possible.
