The Nickel Boys offers a powerful, emotionally charged narrative about friendship and resilience amidst historical turmoil. The dual perspectives of Elwood and Turner bring depth to their bond and highlight the stark contrasts in their experiences. The film's deliberate pacing and outstanding performances ensure a heartfelt, poignant exploration of personal and societal struggles. While familiar in theme, its raw portrayal of friendship and systemic oppression lingers long after the credits roll.

With incredibly expert direction, Nickel Boys really isn't that hard to understand. The first person narrative flows naturally and never tries to deceive, even though it certainly has some tricks up its sleeve. RaMell Ross brilliantly weaves a story that insists you pay attention, aided significantly by the soundtrack and editing that is quite literally out of this world. You will truly be amazed at how vivid and real this film becomes, how perfectly it captures the time period it inhabits and how powerfully it communicates its message. This is film making at the highest level.

First person filming makes it dizzying to watch. A little hard to follow with flashbacks and flash forward plus artsy scenes that are trying to drive home some point, but don't necessarily work. Film style gets in the way of the story. Longer than it needed to be.

Good movie, I would recommend it.

This is an epitome of a wasted effort in a great proportion. It's a muddled Mess in presentation and the whole project suffocates Under Visual Chaos to who ever read the book. Never to imitate European mess like movie making.

This book was amazing. The movie was a disappointment to say the least. Unlike the book the movie never allowed you to engage with the characters on an emotional level. Things like the alligator were difficult to place without having to Google the "why" of an alligator showing up. The "gut punch" that the book ended with was lost in the midst of the confusing editing and the unrelated clips that failed to add any sort of depth to the movie but instead frequently caused confusion. So sad that such a great book was so poorly served by the movie.

It has its innovations such as: first-person recording. However, it is repetitive and a bit boring.

Yes, it’s different. No, it’s not good.

The creativity and intrigue of the cinematic approach and style is more impactful than the story, which there isn’t much of for much of it’s runtime, until it finally puts a twist on it that makes things interesting for a bit before you realize it was just a blip. In the end, there’s a lot of loose ends and the story could have been a lot tighter and impactful.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. The novel was wonderful. Rather than create greater intimacy, the first person POV made the film too abstract and distant. The technique ruined the narrative. I was disengaged and disappointed.

Great story. Great cinematography. Great sound. Great cast. Great production... Nickel Boys is the essence of what a actually is "Best Picture" is (I'm still perplexed by why the film that was chosen was even nominated) The use of first person camera combined with the way they've used sound made for an incredible perspective on a too common narrative (by "too common", I do not mean that there are too many of them, but that these things were so normal that we continue to find content for more books, shows, and movies. I can be easy to because blasé under the weight of so many, but we should never stop making the stories know, and having a new perspective helps to ensure the story is not lost in the mix) There was a scene at the end where the boys are on bicycles that gave me Shawshank vibes. I really hope it's a sign that Nickel Boys will also receive it's due respect in years to come, because it truly deserves more hype and definitely deserved more recognition as a quality production.

My favorite film of the last decade.

I wanted to really like this movie, but there was way too much symbolism which was very distractingand I couldn’t understand what the actors were saying, especially since the camera wasn’t focused on the Who was speaking.

Unwatchable. My high expectations for Nickel Boys were immediately dashed by the "artsy", irritating, distracting style, flipflopping POV, random scratchy blobs onscreen, and the boring dialog. I left a third of the way through this.

It took me a while to get fully invested in the narrative and characters, as the film takes its time before the main plot truly takes off. Because of this, some might find the pacing a bit slow and question whether certain scenes could have been shortened or omitted. That said, the film effectively immerses us in the protagonist’s experiences through thoughtful POV shots and creative camera movements that are rarely seen in mainstream cinema. While the cinematography is undeniably striking, I can see some audiences growing weary of the unconventional visual approach. The film is very well written, with a strong thematic focus on the illusion of progress for African Americans while still navigating an oppressive society. It explores this struggle with depth and nuance, making its message both relevant and compelling. The performances are strong, and the production design further enhances the historical setting. The film also incorporates real-world footage and media snippets that contextualize its themes without disrupting its overall tone. Sound and music play a subtle yet powerful role, creating an eerie soundscape that heightens the sense of unease, even during seemingly mundane moments in the characters’ lives. The film embraces an artsy approach, which, in my opinion, showcases a distinct creative vision from the director. However, I can see how this style might alienate some viewers. Still, I believe it’s worth watching; not just as a cinematic experience, but as an invitation to reflect on socio-political themes in American history.

Absolutely brilliant!

A jumbled mess of rubbish. The camera angles that are used are distracting and completely unnecessary.The filmmaker focuses on making the movie visually different and artsy, rather than actually telling the story. If you want the brilliant version of this story, read the book. Horrible movie. I almost did not make it through the entire mess of a film.

I don’t think I have the life perspective to fully grasp & understand this. Uniquely shot & purposefully directed with lots of symbolism. A really great score & cinematography. But the abstract approach undercuts the full emotion.

Racial segregation and the dark side of reform schools in the USA in the 1960s, told in a very fresh point of view: it puts the viewer in the perspective of the first person. This is its greatest strength, and because of its critical content it is a must-see film.

**Review: *Nickel Boys* (★★★½)** I went into *Nickel Boys* a little skeptical—first-person shot films usually aren’t my thing—but wow, did it work here. The style pulls you right into the story, making every moment feel raw and immediate. Some of the shots? Pure cinematic artistry. It’s honestly ridiculous this didn’t win anything at the Oscars, and don’t get me started on how the editing and directing weren’t even nominated. (*Emilia Perez*, I’m looking at you.) The film itself feels like a piece of history ripped straight from reality, in the best and worst way. The runtime drags a little, and yeah, some scenes could’ve been trimmed. While I was deeply invested in the story, I can’t say the same for the characters. They’re well-acted, but something about the emotional depth just didn’t fully click. Also, for a film tackling such a horrifying subject, I actually wouldn’t have minded if they pushed the brutality further—sometimes implied crimes don’t hit as hard as they should. A little more shock factor might’ve made it even more powerful. Still, *Nickel Boys* is a must-watch. It’s haunting, beautifully crafted, and important. Not perfect, but damn good.