The decisions a director makes while creating a film can be key to whether it succeeds or falls short. When those choices align with the story being told, they have the power to elevate a good movie into something truly special. However, when they don't work, they can become a hindrance, and that’s what happens in this first narrative feature from writer-director RaMell Ross. Adapted from Colson Whitehead’s 2020 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, the film centers on two young Black men, Ellwood (Ethan Herisse) and Turner (Brandon Wilson), living at the Nickel Academy, a fictional Florida reform school modeled after the notorious Dozier School for Boys, an institution known for its cruel treatment of residents. Taking place in the 1960s against the backdrop of the Civil Rights Movement, “Nickel Boys” portrays the terrible things that happened to the two friends and other students at the academy, including physical and sexual abuse, as well as the baffling disappearances of those who didn’t follow the facility's strict rules. This is an undeniably important and troubling story that needs to be shared. But despite the film’s fictionalized account of a true story, the power of the narrative is significantly lessened by what feels like a misguided attempt to transform it into some kind of artistic statement. Like the director’s strangely Oscar-nominated documentary “Hale County This Morning, This Evening” (2018), this movie suffers from a series of inappropriate cinematography choices—some used inconsistently, others adding little of value, and still others that just seem peculiar. Combined with a poorly written script – one filled with repetitive, predictable scenes and dialogue that tries to appear deeper than it really is – viewers are left with a long, uninspired story that diminishes the importance of what’s happening and could have easily been trimmed by around 30 minutes from its excessive 2 hour and 20-minute length. Honestly, if not for Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor's excellent performance as Ellwood’s grandmother, there isn’t much else to recommend about this exercise in style over substance. It’s hard to understand how this film has managed to get noticed by critics. A story with such emotional weight deserves better than what is presented here, just another of 2024's disappointing films.

Source on TMDB