🏆 Nickel Boys (2024) - A Film That Overcomplicates Its Own Power

Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3/5 Stars)

Released 12-13-2024

Watched 02-28-2025

Reviewed 02-28-2025

Watched in the theater Using Cinemark Movie Club (Oscar MovieWeek Festival Pass)

"I saw those college kids in Tampa with their nice shirts and ties sitting at the Woolworth's. I had to work, but they were out protesting. And it happened, they opened that counter. But I didn't have the money to eat there either way. Gotta change the economics of all this, too."

Colson Whitehead’s Nickel Boys is a harrowing novel, and its adaptation had the potential to be just as impactful. The story remains gripping, and the performances are commendable. However, the execution, specifically the film’s experimental POV shooting style, works against it. At 2 hours and 20 minutes, the movie is far too long for a style that becomes more exhausting than immersive. This makes Nickel Boys a frustrating, if not entirely unsuccessful, experience.

There is a fine line between innovative filmmaking and a gimmick that distracts from the story. Nickel Boys falls into the latter category. The choice to shoot almost entirely from a character’s first-person perspective might have sounded bold on paper, but in practice, it often pulls the viewer out of the narrative instead of drawing them in. The approach creates a detachment that works against the film’s emotionally charged subject matter. Instead of feeling immersed in the events, the audience is left disoriented, struggling to make sense of what is unfolding on screen.

At times, the camera lingers on nonsensical angles, including moments where all we see is the back of someone’s head. Who is the audience supposed to be in these moments? Are we meant to be omniscient or merely floating behind a character? The inconsistency in perspective makes for a jarring viewing experience, forcing the viewer to question the mechanics of the film rather than focus on the story itself.

What makes this even more frustrating is that the story at Nickel Boys’ core is deeply important. The film explores themes of racial injustice, trauma, and survival, following young boys subjected to the horrors of the Nickel Academy. These are stories that need to be told, but they deserve a storytelling method that enhances rather than undermines their emotional weight. The POV approach, instead of making the film more intimate, turns it into an exercise in endurance, making it harder to fully invest in the characters.

Despite the film’s directorial missteps, the performances are a saving grace. The lead actors bring depth and raw emotion to their roles. The screenplay, though often hindered by the film’s visual style, still delivers moments of genuine poignancy. Without these strong elements, the film could have been a complete disaster. Instead, it lands somewhere in the middle. A compelling but ultimately frustrating experience.

This is by no means a bad film, but it is a difficult one. Its attempts at innovation fall flat, making it harder to engage with what should have been a deeply affecting story. While some may appreciate the risk-taking, different does not always mean successful. If the film had trusted its story and characters instead of relying on an experimental shooting style, it could have been a true powerhouse. Instead, it is a movie that leaves you admiring the effort but wishing for something better.