Two PureWow Editors Watched ‘Nickel Boys’ and Were Shaken to Their Core—Here's Their Candid Take

*Warning: Spoilers Ahead*

It's been a week since I watched Nickel Boys and I can't stop thinking about it.

Directed by RaMell Ross, the Oscar-nominated drama brings Colson Whitehead's 2019 novel to life in such a powerful and intimate way, exploring themes of racism, trauma, friendship, resilience and hope. Through immersive filming techniques, it also sheds light on the horrors that occurred at the Dozier School for Boys—a real-life reform school in Florida—while highlighting the resilience of the human spirit.

I could go on about the spot-on social commentary and compelling main cast. But rather than penning a rave review, I invited my colleague and Senior Editor, Dana Dickey to discuss this cinematic masterpiece. What resulted was a rich conversation, filled with eye-opening insights, deep reflection and, yes, even a few tears. Here it is, edited for clarity and length.

Nakeisha Campbell: I took a look at the Tomatometer and noticed some fans on there didn't like the immersive camera angle of viewing it from Elwood’s perspective. They found it more disorienting and didn't really feel like they were following his eye movements, but I had the opposite experience. I felt like I was really there with him. Like I was a part of that friendship. It made me feel even more connected to the story. What were your thoughts on the filming style?

DD: It was really innovative. I was drawn into the film and the perspective of Elwood by the point of view shift as well as the nonlinear almost collage-like editing style.

I found myself seduced in the way that, if it had been more traditional, I would be able to say I'm over here, the film's over there. I was drawn in not only by the odd format, which disoriented me, but by the beauty of those original images. I found them so beautiful and so personal and so caring, so emotionally manipulative and evocative. And then as the film began to take a turn, I felt trapped in the world of the film and I couldn't get out. And so I was trapped in some very difficult emotional experiences.

NC: Yes, and I imagine that's exactly how Elwood felt. That's what we're meant to experience right along with him. I think the director executed this so well, though I will say, there's one point in the film where it shifts perspectives and we also see Turner's point of view. It took me a minute to process what was happening there, but I appreciated that shift as I saw it play out.

Both boys are in a similar situation, but their responses to these circumstances are very different. Elwood seems more hopeful, and then Turner seems like the more pessimistic one, with no hope of getting out. To flip back and forth between those points of view was interesting. I think that aspect of it made me feel a little less trapped. 

DD: Yes. Otherwise, it would have been claustrophobic.

NC: For sure. It was starting to feel that way before the switch happened.

DD: What did you think about the treatment of the themes of racism and classism and institutional abuse?

NC: It's definitely not easy to watch, but I think these themes were tackled in an honest and thoughtful way. It’s heartbreaking, but not extremely overwhelming. The point comes across that there is racism and inequality, but we don’t always harp on that. There are a few snippets of hope, like with Elwood's response, and the fact that he still seemed hopeful even after seeing these issues firsthand.

He tried to plan his escape and actually affect change, thinking, ‘Maybe I can help end Nickel Boys.’ Elwood was so determined to do something...that spoke volumes about his strength. And I think that kind of encapsulates the spirit of a lot of people who went through such trauma, the fact that, in their hearts, they knew that somehow they could overcome that and do something to be a part of the change. 

DD: I appreciated that, otherwise it would have been unbearable. And what I thought the film did really well in a nuanced and not heavy-handed way was the lingering effects of this childhood abuse that stayed with him.

For example, the scene with a fellow schoolboy in a bar, later as adults. That guy was obviously scarred by his experience and asking, ‘Don't you remember? Don't you remember?’ So that touched on this idea of our own memories as unreliable narrators. Additionally, his difficult relationships with his girlfriend and this almost telltale heartbeating obsession with the past that made him unable to be present in his adult life. In other words, it wasn't just over when he ran through the woods. It stayed with them. And I think his hopefulness and his struggle is going to continue his whole life.

NC: So good. And in a sense, this movie does force us to consider what other people are going through and empathize with them, and it shows us the reality of just grappling with suffering. It did prompt me to look into a bit of the history [of the Dozier School for Boys]. My heart broke for the victims.

NC: I do want to mention, I like to cling to the hopeful parts of films that tackle deeper topics. And I feel like one bright spot for me was the grandma. I love her so much. Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor was just a ray of sunshine whenever I saw her. I feel like she was one of the only sources of hope for Elwood, that kind of helped sustain him and it was beautiful to see.

DD: Yes, and you saw her trying to keep it together for him.

NC: Oh, you could tell that she was going through it internally. She did a good job of staying strong for him. I think her love for Elwood outweighed the need to take care of herself, in a sense. So selfless.

DD: You just made me think...I'm just tearing up. Remember him at the door at the end?

NC: I know…trying not to cry myself, that encounter was so emotional.

DD: What I thought was so incredibly rich was the way that we as a viewer, along with Elwood, were so broken down and suffused with his love that I think he'd gotten from his grandma, was when he was betrayed by his friend. He was like, "Just don't worry about it…” Because you understood the friend's inner sickness did it. And I thought, ‘How are you going to present that? How do we not just hate him?’ And then you realize the whole system is what pitted person against person.

NC: I was genuinely confused by Elwood's response to this. But now as I'm reflecting, it makes total sense that his actions flow from the abundance of what his grandma gave.

NC: What was the most impactful part of the film for you, personally?

DD: The subplot about the boxer who was encouraged to throw the fight. And it was the one moment in the year when the underdog kids got to win and he just couldn't do it, he couldn't stop himself. And then he cried afterward, ‘I didn't know what I was doing,’ but it was too late. And then we knew that it was the end for him. Just the tragedy of being so close and being unable to avoid, it was just heartbreaking.

NC: Yes, and then seeing the other boys root for him and feel so excited, it felt like a shared victory. 

DD: And our two heroes were the only ones that knew what he had just done was not at all a victory. It was more like he had just signed his own death warrant.