Nickel Boys (2025) & The Legacy of Dr. Mlk Jr.
A revolution is a struggle between the future and the past”- Dr. King
This will serve not only as a review of The Nickel Boys but also as a reflection on the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Nickel Boys, set in the early '60s, is based on the true story of the now-closed Dozier School for Boys in Florida, where many former students say they were beaten or sexually abused. It’s a story of young boys, defenseless, being abused by an institution. The choice of first-person POV immersed me in the story, making it feel like a memory or a nightmare relived. I often felt sick to my stomach, knowing that these are memories that many people carry.
The legacy of the late Dr. King can almost feel pacified, given the distance we now have from his life on Earth. However, in this story, we see Elwood, the main protagonist, view him as a beacon of hope and a revolutionary. Elwood sees himself as a catalyst for a revolution, a change that should be coming, as the movie is mainly set in the '60s. He is college bound and excited to start on new adventures in the Deep South.
Yet, the reality of the situation is that, while many have hoped for change, some circumstances or mistakes have life-altering consequences. We see Elwood make a decision that alters his life forever. Racism that we have seen in glimpses from earlier in the film rears its ugly head. According to the book's author, Pulitzer Prize winner Colson Whitehead, from which the film was adapted, Elwood's arrest for a crime he did not commit was the result of police brutality he had witnessed and experienced. He is thrust into situations where he must live up to the words of Dr. King, searching for hope, dreaming of a brighter future, not only for himself but for those around him.
Nickel Boys (2024)
However, Nickel Boys sheds light on countless stories of hope and light that were extinguished before they could see a brighter tomorrow. Many lives have been lost unjustly.
“Don’t nobody care about supposed-to. The fix has always been in. Game’s rigged.”
It’s a sobering reminder that injustices of all kinds are still happening today, not just in race relations but also in the unchecked powers that perpetuate violence and unspeakable evil against the defenseless. Nickel Boys and the legacy of Dr. King show that the fight for hope is never easy. For many, the systems have “been rigged,” with no means of escape without dire consequences. Let us not pacify the legacy of Dr. King; he was a revolutionary who was beaten, battered, and killed for a world that is still in need of change. He was a radical optimist, and many alongside him have never seen the fruits of their labor.
As for the movie itself, it is absolutely perfect to me. The unconventional camerawork, which involved strapping the cameras to the actors, makes the film intimate and memorable. You are inside the minds of the actors as they give such emotionally compelling performances. Interspliced are archival images and footage from the time period that help ground the history that is unfolding around the characters. Ethan Herisse, in particular, blew me away as Elwood, playing a boy who continues to fight an uphill battle with determination and grit. In contrast, Turner (played by Brandon Wilson) is simply trying to survive. At the moment where we meet him in the story, he feels he will survive, but only by maintaining the status quo.
City of God (2022)
I believe their relationship is similar to another of my favorite films, City of God. A Brazilian film that addresses similar themes of institutional oppression and poverty while being a coming-of-age film. The quest for systemic equality continues all around the world. Many people do not get the opportunity to mature and "readjust to life." To go through such adversity as the boys we encounter in the film and witness them fight through their anguish. How do they learn to connect and even try to trust others? How do they contend with the injustice that was perpeuated on to them? While there are days when it seems like we should “maintain the status quo” the ongoing struggle for freedom and equality, this film and Dr. King serve as a reminder to keep going with hopes of a better future. It is a steep price to pay, but one that’s worth it.
