Reinventing a Point of View: How ‘Nickel Boys’ Tells a Story Through the Eyes of the Protagonist

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In transforming Colson Whitehead’s novel into the historical drama “Nickel Boys“, director and co-writer RaMell Ross fundamentally reshaped the medium of cinema. His unique vision for his first fiction feature was to narrate the story from the perspective of the protagonist. As a result, what viewers experience while watching “Nickel Boys” is identical to what the main character, Elwood (and subsequently Turner), perceives as they traverse the racist and abusive reform school, Nickel Academy, during the Jim Crow era in Florida.

Making the choice to film entirely using a first-person perspective required a significant shift in the usual storytelling approach.

Or,

The decision to film exclusively in first-person required a flip in the conventional scriptwriting method.

Or,

To shoot only from a first-person view necessitated a reversal of the traditional narrative process.

In this situation, Elwood is whisked away to Nickel Academy following allegations that he had taken someone else’s vehicle.

In the script, Hattie’s cake-cutting scene appears brief and casual. However, when RaMell Ross filmed the scene for the final cut, it lasted longer than one might anticipate from reading the script. As he began to film his script, Ross found that the rhythm of this moment, as it corresponded to the written page, and the intended length of the film, were quite disjointed.

One reason we chose to connect the cake scene with a police car was to illustrate how people often reflect on their lives; it’s about the significant moments they recall. Ross points out that this transition underscores Elwood’s autonomy, yet he seems to be merely influenced by circumstances, which symbolizes larger systemic forces.

As a gamer, I had an idea back in 2012 for a first-person game from the perspective of a Black character. After reading that book, it was the concept that instantly popped into my mind. We don’t overtly highlight this perspective, or “Elwood POV,” throughout the script because we want the audience to immerse themselves, and sometimes, these aspects can be easy to overlook.

In their initial portrayal of the school, Ross and co-screenwriter Joslyn Barnes struggled with finding the right balance: “How can we depict the violence through presenting the charm and maintenance? It’s a facade. This place is essentially taking lives. Yet, if you were to drop by, it would seem perfectly fine – isn’t that a twisted irony? It’s like having an execution chamber hidden in a park, where one might say, ‘Let’s move the electric chair to a sterile room.’

At the conclusion of the movie, viewers come to understand that numerous students had been subjected to brutal torture and killed, indicated by the unearthing of unidentified burial sites in present times. This revelation, when Elwood first arrives at Nickel, came too early and provided excessive information, taking away from the initial experience of perceiving Nickel as just a school where everything could be normal. The scene displaying graves on a computer was therefore relocated to later in the film, following Elwood’s brutal assault. This adjustment allowed viewers to empathize more deeply with Elwood’s experience and understanding of Nickel as it unfolded throughout the story.

In a departure from typical cinematic techniques, Nickel Boys incorporates archival footage at intermittent points. Initially in this script draft, the camera switched to images of anonymous graves, but these were relocated elsewhere in the final version. Instead, we transition to the opening credits of Stanley Kramer’s The Defiant Ones, featuring Sidney Poitier. This scene was placed here due to the striking parallels between Elwood in the back of that car and Poitier in the back of that van, creating a profound emotional impact. Furthermore, it subtly establishes a connection between the school and [Poitier’s] prison.

As I navigate through this film, every minor detail unfolding on screen takes on a new meaning. Ross points out that these small moments might not hold much weight in a conventional cinematic context, but in this movie, they carry an unexpected emotional impact. Scenes like a cop munching on fried chicken or a kid playing with a shark tooth in a police car become profoundly moving, simply because the perspective we’re given is that of Elwood (and later Turner). This forced intimacy compels me, as the viewer and character, to ponder these scenes from my own unique perspective.

This tale was initially published in a special issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine that came out in February. To get this magazine, simply click [here] for a subscription.

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2025-02-09 23:28