Without fail, there is at least one big movie every year that falls prey to the adage “style over substance,” a film that postures as an opus, but is really just filled with hot air and covered in papier-mâché with the word “masterpiece” scrawled all over its still-drying surface. It would be easy for an undiscerning eye to dismiss director RaMell Ross’ “Nickel Boys” as one such flashy piece of Oscar bait. On paper, Ross’ film fits the bill; it is an adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s 2019 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name and shot entirely from a first-person vantage point. Ross’ conceit is so distinct that it immediately sets “Nickel Boys” apart from every other highly anticipated release this year, yet it’s that same storytelling device that will undoubtedly lead some viewers and critics to disregard it entirely. Listen to me when I shake you by the shoulders and tell you: That would be a grave error.
While Ross’ style undeniably calls attention to itself, the director is prescient enough to know that some will see his untraditional mode as a mere affectation. In response, Ross doubles down, moving his camera with a lilting, ethereal swing and holding shots for far longer than any real person would fix their gaze. It’s a disconcerting choice, one that hypnotizes as much as it unnerves. And appropriately so, given that “Nickel Boys” puts its audience quite literally in the shoes of two people who find themselves in a nightmare.
