Nickel Boys is the best film I’ve seen so far this year. My sister gave me Colson Whitehead’s book years ago – it gut-punched me then – but RaMell Ross’s adaptation carries the story differently. It’s more subtle in how it makes you feel the weight of Elwood’s world.
Instead of graphic scenes, it shows the horror of Elwood’s story through small, chilling details – the sound of a belt hitting skin, a nervous breath, sunlight catching dust in a silent room.
The film feels real because it doesn’t shout; it whispers, making you lean in closer. Every shot looks striking, like a photograph come to life, but it’s the moments between the violence – the fear in a glance, a shared secret – that hit hardest. By holding back, it gives you space to feel the full weight of its truth.
No easy answers, just haunting clarity.