‘If everybody looks the other way, then everybody’s in on it…’
Hollywood loves a gimmick. Whether that be a film shot in one continuous take (Boiling Point, Victoria) or films shot over several years (Boyhood), the list goes on. With RaMell Ross’s recently Oscar-nominated film Nickel Boys, the gimmick is that everything is shot in POV (yes, like Peep Show). The problem is that the story is so good that it didn’t need a gimmick in the first place…
Fate and circumstance throw Elwood (Ethan Herisse) and Turner (Brandon Wilson) together after both are sentenced to spend time at Nickel Academy, a reform school. Nickel is segregated, with the white students enjoying comfortable accommodation and various privileges whilst the black students are forced to provide convict labour. While Elwood is idealistic and optimistic, Turner is cynical and world-weary.
While there are moments here in which the POV style really works (Elwood’s initial arrival at Nickel is particularly galling when viewed through his eyes), it can also be distracting and frustratingly confusing. For much of the 2hr 20m runtime, I was very aware that I was watching a film. This is a shame because had it been shot in a more conventional style, Ross’s adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s novel could have been much more immersive and impactful. That being said, there are some truly bravura moments here. One scene in which real photographs of black reformatory students flash on screen against the backdrop of the sound of Elwood being savagely beaten by the guards is truly heartbreaking. Another scene in which our two protagonists reunite in a bar years after their incarceration is bursting with emotion whilst still being subtle and nuanced.
I imagine some people will love the POV style of Nickel Boys and find it fresh and innovative. I couldn’t get past it as a distraction, however, and that’s a shame because there is an incredible film buried in here somewhere beneath all the technical grandstanding.
