Adapted from Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Nickel Boys focuses on the story of Elwood (Ethan Herisse), a black teen sent to the Nickel Academy. Despite the school’s cruelty, he makes a connection with Turner (Brandon Willis) as they find hope against the odds. As the former students reconnect later in life, we are witnesses not only to the scars left by their youth, but also the healing power of human connection.

Director RaMell Ross, fine art photographer and documentary filmmaker (Hale County This Morning, This Evening), launches into feature filmmaking with this audacious and profoundly moving tale of a mid-century reform school, based on true stories that warped and destroyed the lives of thousands of children.

Reminiscent of the delicate touch of Barry Jenkins’s Moonlight, Nickel Boys is a sophisticated and profound experience of friendship and transformation.