Nickel Boys

Elwood (Ethan Herisse) is a young teenager who is falsely accused of a crime, which leads the justice system of his environment to place him in a reform school for young people in Florida during the 1960s. The place, called Nickel Academy (a reference to the real reform school called Dozier School for Boys, known for its abusive treatment of students), is hostile and filled with corrupt individuals: superiors, teachers, partners… Elwood refuses to trust anyone.

However, he meets in there a young man, Turner (Brandon Wilson), with whom he will form a great friendship. Both friends must learn to understand each other and escape from the place and its dangers during their youth, growing together over time. Even so, Elwood cannot avoid fighting against the evils that surround his prison. The students are divided by races, and the Black students bear the worst of it.

'Nickel Boys' is a film directed by RaMell Ross, who also co-writes it with Joslyn Barnes and Colson Whitehead. The story is based on the eponymous novel published in 2019 by Colson Whitehead. The title is distributed nationally and internationally by Amazon MGM Studios. 'Nickel Boys' has been nominated for the 2025 Oscars in the categories of Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay.