Trigger Warning: There is mention of racism, sexual abuse, torture, and death in this article that may be triggering to some readers. Please take care while reading.
Nickel Boys was recently released for a limited theatrical run after a successful showing at the 51st Telluride Film Festival in Colorado. It was nominated for Best Motion Picture Drama at the Golden Globe Awards and also received five nominations such as Best Picture at the Critics’ Choice Awards. Directed by RaMell Ross, the movie is based on the novel The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead, who also worked as an Executive Producer on the movie. Ross and Joslyn Barnes worked on the screenplay together. The film stars Ethan Herisse and Brandon Wilson in its leading roles.
About Nickel Boys
Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel moves between the 1960s and 2010s. It centers on Elwood Curtis, an ambitious African American teen with a promising future. He is accepted into an accelerated program at an HBCU (historically Black college and university). Unfortunately, Curtis catches a ride to his new school with an African American man who turns out to have stolen the car.
Curtis is marked as an accomplice, despite not knowing, and because he is a minor, he is sent to Nickel Academy, a juvenile reform school. There, he faces racial segregation and horrible mistreatment at the hands of his peers and the staff, but he tries to persevere alongside his new friend, Turner. Nickel Academy is based on Florida’s Dozier School for Boys, which is known for the sexual abuse, torture, and even death of the youth it was meant to help.
Where To Watch
Nickel Boys is available to watch now in select theaters in New York City and will be available in theaters throughout the US in January. It will also be available to watch on streaming platforms MGM+ and Prime Video in the future. As of now, a date for streaming has not yet been announced.
Check out this article to learn more about HBCUs.
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