Nickel Boys-A Completely Unique Way to Tell Such a Harrowing Story

There's simply nothing quite like Nickel Boys's duel-POV style. What many may call a gimmick allows for an unconventional filmmaking style that allows the film to tell the story of its duel protagonists, as harrowing as it is, in a way that feels so incredibly real. It's a style that can pack so much emotion into the simplest of filmmaking techniques, be it the tilting down of the camera or the cut from one character's POV to the other. It also allows for cinematography that finds immense beauty in the most seemingly mundane imagery, be it a hand grabbing a leaf, a reflection, or a character gazing directly into the camera. 

With a more conventional style, the narrative, centering around reform schools, a subject matter filled with real stories of abuse, could easily seem emotionally manipulative. But with this POV style, there's a raw realness to every moment that makes each moment, from the comforting to the distressing, so incredibly effective. It helps that Ramell Ross doesn't over-rely on this first-person POV style, using everything from real-life archival footage to more surreal imagery to make each moment work so well. The most effective technique Ross uses, however, aside from the first-person POV is when, in scenes following an older protagonist, the camera is locked behind him, a technique that when put alongside the first-person POV camerawork of the rest of the film, so effectively conveys the perspective of someone living with trauma, making the audience feel that emotionally detached, almost out of body-like way the protagonist now sees the world after all that he's been through. 

All these unconventional filmmaking choices may prevent some from connecting the film. But for me, these choices only made the story feel all the more powerful. These choices allowed me to connect with this story in a way a more conventional style simply couldn't.

Nickel Boys is Now Playing in the US