Director: RaMell Ross
Writers: RaMell Ross, Joslyn Barnes, Colson Whitehead
Release Date: September 27, 2024 (United States)
Runtime: 2h 20m
Language: English
Country of Origin: United States
Budget: $20,000,000 (estimated)
Production Companies: Orion Pictures, Plan B Entertainment, Louverture Films
Story
“Nickel Boys” is based on the historic “Dozier School for Boys” reform school in Florida, which was well-known for mistreating its pupils. It tells the tale of Elwood Curtis, a young African-American child who, in the 1960s, is wrongfully accused of a crime and sent to the Nickel Academy. He befriends a boy named Turner there, and the two grow close as they work to survive the atrocities of the school and its dishonest officials.
Plot Summary
Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Colson Whitehead, Nickel Boys is an engrossing drama. The film, which is set in the 1960s, tells the tale of Elwood Curtis, a young African American child who, motivated by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s words, dreams of a better future. But when he is wrongfully accused of a crime and sent to the infamous reform school in Florida known as Nickel Academy, his life drastically changes. Students at this horrifying school deal with widespread abuse and corruption.
Turner, a streetwise young man Elwood meets at Nickel Academy, grows to be a close friend and confidant. Together, they negotiate the hazardous terrain while attempting to hold onto their humanity and hope despite the brutality. As they plan their escape and deal with the harsh realities of the school, their friendship grows stronger. The movie looks at issues of friendship, resiliency, and the never-ending pursuit of justice in the face of institutional racism.
Cast
Ethan Cole Sharp as Young Elwood
Sam Malone as Percy
Najah Bradley as Evelyn
Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor as Hattie
Jase Stidwell as Boy at Playground
Legacy Jones as Girl at Playground
Ethan Herisse as Elwood
Jimmie Fails as Mr. Hill
Ky’druis Follins as Gabrielle Simone Johnson (Elwood’s Girlfriend)
Peter Gabb as Mr. Marconi
Bill Martin Williams as Old Man with Cane
Ellison Booker as Older Guy (Protest)
Taraja Ramsess as Rodney
Zachary Van Zandt as White Boy 1 (as Zachary Luke Van Zandt)
Zach Primo as White Boy 2
Sean Papajohn as White Boy 3
Sean Tyrik as Corey
