#alario

[bayer04leverkusengallery]

[whileiamdying]

Great Books Don’t Make Great Films, but “Nickel Boys” Is a Glorious Exception

RaMell Ross’s first dramatic feature, an adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s novel, gives the bearing of witness an arresting cinematic form.

By Richard Brody December 6, 2024

It’s harder to adapt a great book than an average one. Literary greatness often inhibits directors, who end up paying prudent homage to the source rather than engaging in the bold revisions that successful adaptations require. And even uninhibited directors may lack the stylistic originality of their literary heroes. It’s all the more remarkable, then, that the director RaMell Ross, in his first dramatic feature, “Nickel Boys”—adapted from Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer-winning 2019 novel, “The Nickel Boys”—avoids both obstacles with a rare blend of daring and ingenuity. Few films have ever rendered a major work of fiction so innovatively yet so faithfully. In a year of audaciously accomplished movies, “Nickel Boys” stands out as different in kind. Ross, who co-wrote the script with Joslyn Barnes, achieves an advance in narrative form, one that singularly befits the movie’s subject—not just dramatically but historically and morally, too.

The movie’s title refers to Black youths (teens and younger) who are inmates of the Nickel Academy, a segregated and abusive “reform school” in rural northern Florida—particularly to two teen-agers, Elwood (Ethan Herisse) and Turner (Brandon Wilson), who become friends while incarcerated there, in the mid-nineteen-sixties. (The institution in Whitehead’s novel is inspired by the notorious Dozier School for Boys, but his characters are fictional.) Elwood, who is sixteen years old when he enters the facility, is being raised by his grandmother Hattie (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor), who works on the cleaning staff of a hotel. He’s a star student, literary and politically passionate, in a segregated school. One of his teachers, Mr. Hill (Jimmie Fails), is a civil-rights activist, and he plays a Martin Luther King, Jr., speech on a record for his students. Elwood gets his picture in a local newspaper for participating in a civil-rights demonstration, but he’s only holding a sign; he longs to join in civil disobedience, but Hattie seems skeptical about the idea. Hitchhiking to a nearby college for advanced classes, he gets a ride from a flashily dressed, fast-talking Black man (Taraja Ramsess) whose car, unbeknownst to Elwood, is stolen. When the police pull the driver over, the innocent Elwood, too, is punished, resulting in his internment in Nickel.

From the start, Ross throws down a stylistic gauntlet: up until Elwood’s imprisonment, the action is seen entirely from his point of view—literally so, as if the camera were in the place occupied by his head, pivoting and tilting to show his shifting gaze, while his voice is heard offscreen. This device was famously used by Robert Montgomery in his 1947 adaptation of Raymond Chandler’s “The Lady in the Lake,” but it was no more than a gimmick. In Ross’s hands, the device becomes something overwhelmingly expressive: the images, rather than merely recording Elwood’s emotions, register the cause of those emotions and allow the viewer to partake in his inner world.

The results can be puckish, as when Elwood’s reflection appears in the chrome side of the iron that Hattie is sliding across an ironing board. But Ross’s technique is exquisitely responsive to the story’s depth and range of experience. The viewer shares Elwood’s naïve bewilderment when the driver of the stolen car, hearing a police siren, tells him not to turn around; similarly, one feels the anguished anticipation when Elwood awaits transport to Nickel. At this point, an extraordinary scene tears a hole in time, bringing the history of Black American life rushing in to overtake Elwood’s own: Hattie, with an air of unusual formality and seething indignation, recalls in excruciating detail her father’s death in police custody and her husband’s death at the hands of white assailants. But she expects better for Elwood.

Once the police have deposited Elwood in Nickel’s run-down barracks for Black inmates, Ross extends the dramatic force of his method while expanding its intellectual scope. At breakfast, Elwood meets Turner, who’s from Houston and much more streetwise. The impact of this moment is heralded in a coup de cinéma that is a vast amplification of the story: a repetition of the breakfast-table encounter, seen, the second time around, from Turner’s point of view. Once the pair become friends, both of their perspectives share the film, to mighty effect.

Elwood’s wrongful detention is only the first of the Job-like litany of injustices heaped upon him. In Nickel, sucker-punched and knocked out by a bigger kid, Elwood receives the same standard and brutal punishment as his assailant. Nickel’s sadistic supervisor, Mr. Spencer (Hamish Linklater), who is white, administers beatings with a strap in the so-called white house, far from the barracks. An industrial fan is used to drown out the victims’ screams, but it doesn’t quite do so, and Elwood, with his view of the horrors obstructed, hears them in terror while awaiting his turn.

Hospitalized as a result of the beating, Elwood gets a surprise visit from Turner, who’s also a patient (having skillfully feigned illness). Turner warns him that there are still worse punishments menacing the Nickel inmates, ranging from the sweat box—a brutally hot crawl space under a tar roof—to actual murder. (Such deaths were covered up by burial in unmarked graves and an official lie that the child ran away without a trace.) Elwood, inspired by the civil-rights movement and knowing that his grandmother has hired a lawyer, is confident that justice will prevail. He even keeps a notebook in which he records unpaid labor and which he thinks will help get Nickel shut down. Turner has no such confidence, insisting that no one gets out of Nickel alive except by getting himself out. The two teens’ visual perspectives, alternating through the hospital scene, embody their diametrically opposed views of American society, of their prospects, and of the destinies that await them.

Through Elwood’s and Turner’s eyes, in scenes that unfold in long and complex takes, the movie offers a formidable fullness of incident, intimately physical detail, and finely nuanced observations. The corruption of Nickel’s administrators and the legitimized absurdities of their cruel regime come to light as they’re experienced by the two teens, as do Hattie’s struggles to stay connected with Elwood and to seek legal relief. Lyrical snatches of daily life—passing moments of grace on a job outside Nickel’s grounds or during free moments in a rec room—are haunted by traces of past brutality and flickers of menace. Ross stages the action with a choreographic virtuosity that’s all the more astonishing given that this is his first dramatic film. (His previous feature, from 2018, is the documentary “Hale County This Morning, This Evening.”) His teeming visual imagination is matched by the agile physicality of Jomo Fray’s cinematography. As a first dramatic feature, “Nickel Boys” is in the exalted company of such films as Terrence Malick’s “Badlands” and Julie Dash’s “Daughters of the Dust.” Like them, it comprehensively creates a new way of capturing immediate experience cinematically, a new aesthetic for dramatizing history and memory.

Early on, the action is set in historical perspective by means of flash-forwards. Eventually, there are revelations about the atrocities at Nickel; the grounds are excavated, and human remains discovered. One of the friends (played as an adult by Daveed Diggs) gets wind of these investigations, having in the intervening years made his way to New York, found employment as a mover, and started his own business. In this later time frame, Ross continues to rely on point-of-view images, but with a piercing difference. The camera now floats just behind the character’s head, depicting work and home, love stories and painful reunions, fleeting observations and a reckoning with the past, as if from two points of view simultaneously—one visual and one spectral, bringing absence to life along with presence.

The onscreen incarnation of Elwood’s and Turner’s perceptions isn’t only intellectual or theoretical. The moral essence of Ross’s technique is to give cinematic form to the bearing of witness. Where Whitehead’s novel describes his characters’ physical torments in the third person, with psychological discernment and declarative precision, Ross’s movie fuses observation and sensation with its audiovisual style. It suggests a form of testimony beyond language, outside the reach of law and outside the historical record. It is a revelation of inner experience that starts with the body and all too often remains sealed off there and lost to time—except to the extent that the piece of art can conjure it into existence.

The movie’s twin aspects of witness and of point of view have a significance that extends beyond the drama and into cinematic history. There were no Black directors in Hollywood until the late sixties, and no Hollywood films that conveyed then what “Nickel Boys” shows in retrospect: the monstrous abuses of the Jim Crow era and its vestiges. In bringing the historical reckonings of Whitehead’s novel to the screen, Ross hints at an entire history of cinema that doesn’t exist—a bearing of witness that didn’t happen and the lives that were lost in that invisible silence. ♦

Published in the print edition of the December 16, 2024, issue, with the headline “Each Other’s Back.”

Directed by: RaMell Ross Screenplay by RaMell Ross and Joslyn Barnes Based onThe Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead Produced by Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, David Levine, Joslyn Barnes Starring: Ethan Herisse, Brandon Wilson, Hamish Linklater, Fred Hechinger, Daveed Diggs, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor Cinematography: Jomo Fray Edited by Nicholas Monsour Music by Alex Somers and Scott Alario Production: Orion Pictures, Plan B Entertainment, Louverture Films, Anonymous Content Distributed by Amazon MGM Studios Release Dates: August 30, 2024 (Telluride) December 13, 2024 (United States) Running time140 minutes Country: United States Language: English

[frankdam]

elmosódott elektronikus hangzású fullasztó nyomasztás <- bármikor jöhet

[genevieveetguy]

. You think anyone cares what's going on in Nickel? This is just one place. There are Nickels all over this country.

Nickel Boys, RaMell Ross (2024)

[danbenzvi]

On The Jukebox: "Nickel Boys (Original Motion Picture Score)"

Original music composed by Alex Somers and Scott Alario.

[incorrecteintrachtquotes]

Lucas : I'll have to lock up the both of you. And no funny business.

Kristijan : They're not clowns...

[poemsfor-her]

SELF DEVELOPMENT PODCASTS ୨୧ ׅ ۫ 𖹭

SELF DEVELOPMENT

MIMI - Mimi Bouchard

Plantbased, not perfect - Elizabeth Coe

The dream bigger podcast - Siffat Haider

Ethereal girl - Alexa Rose

Style your mind podcast - Cara Alwil Leyba

Girls with Goals - AnnCatherine and Coraline

The Blonde Files Podcast

She is so bougie

Claim your power - Kim Peretz

For the girls - Victoria Alario

Spoiled Girlie Support Club - Manifestelle

Busy, yet pretty

The wellness cafe - Trinity Tondeleir

A better you podcast - Fernanda Ramirez

BUSINESS

the bossbabe podcast

girlboss radio

Behind her Empire - Yasmin Nouri

Female startup club

what is your favorite podcast? my current favorite is MIMI ♡

the picture is newjeans hanni's elle korea x chaurmet photoshoot

with love, 𝒯

[dhaaruni]

I feel like season 3 put Kate in mother of the bride outfits - the high necklines, extra lace, and bulky fabric. Its simone ashley so she still looks amazing no matter what but compared to her season 2 simple jewel tones so its mostly a miss

Dude the mother of the bride outfits are SO annoying, in the show and irl, especially for a a character that's in her late 20s! My mom is in her 50s and was literally complaining about how ugly the official MOB dresses are a few weeks ago, and the dress she ultimately picked for my April wedding was definitely not from that section.

But yes, I honestly feel like the showrunners were just trying to minimize Simone Ashley's beauty almost because they implicitly decided it detracts from Nicola Coughlan's even though Nicola is totally lovely and charming herself. Ironically, the production team on Southern Hospitality does a similar thing to Mia Alario as well, who is this gorgeous and intelligent Black woman from Trinidad and Tobago and has a whole lot more emotional intelligence than the rest of the cast combined lol.

I really hope that in season 4, they don't treat Yerin Ha and Sophie Baek the way they treated Simone though.

[metagoles]

Estudiantes triunfó ajustadamente ante Banfield https://metagoles.net/estudiantes-triunfo-ajustadamente-ante-banfield/

[kristenswig]

Best Film Editing 2024

Winner

Nickel Boys - Nicholas Monsour

Nominees

The Beast - Anita Roth Challengers - Marco Costa Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World - Catalin Cristutiu Music - Angela Schanelec The Substance - Jérôme Eltabet, Coralie Fargeat, Valentin Féron

Best Original Score 2024

Winner

Nosferatu - Robin Carolan

Nominees

The Brutalist - Daniel Blumberg Challengers - Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross Cuckoo - Simon Waskow Nickel Boys - Scott Alario, Alex Somers The Universal Theory - Diego Ramos Rodriguez, David Schweighart

Best Sound Editing 2024

Winner

The Substance - Valérie Deloof, Victor Fleurant, Victor Praud

Nominees

Cuckoo - Odin Benitez, Henning Hein, Jeffrey A. Pitts Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga - Tara Webb, Adrian Medhurst, Tom Heuzenroeder In a Violent Nature - Tim Atkins, Michelle Hwu Nosferatu - Damian Volpe, Steve Little, Samir Foco The Universal Theory - Nora Czamler, Nils Kirchoff

Best Sound Mixing

Winner

Cuckoo - Henning Hein, Jonas Lux, Steffen Pfauth, Torsten Zumhof

Nominees

The Beast - Jean-Pierre Laforce, Nicolas Cantin, Alexandra Thro Longlegs - Eugenio Battaglia Nosferatu - Damian Volpe Nickel Boys - Avi Laniado, Mark Leblanc, Daniel Timmons, Tony Volante The Substance - Valérie Deloof, Victor Fleurant, Victor Praud, Stéphane Thiébaut, Emmanuelle Villard

Best Visual Effects

Winner

V/H/S Beyond

Nominees

Blitz Furiosa: a Mad Max Saga Nosferatu The Substance

[newstotalcomunicacao]

Inter encaminha contratação dos dois primeiros reforços para 2025

O Inter encaminhou nesta terça-feira (7) as negociações de seus dois primeiros reforços para a temporada de 2025. Os alvos são o volante Ronaldo, do Juventude, e o atacante Vitinho, do Dínamo de Kiev, da Ucrânia, que estava emprestado ao RB Bragantino. Diferentemente da última temporada, quando trouxe nomes como Borré e Alario, o Colorado se reapresentou nesta terça-feira (7), no Beira-Rio, sem…

[nandogross]

INTER: A ENTREVISTA DE BERNABEI/ALARIO SAINDO/PROPOSTA POR NICOLÁS/FIASC...

[incorrecteintrachtquotes]

Lucas : I can't believe you assassinated the lord!

Rafa : Well, ''assassinated'' implies that it was politically motivated. I killed him because he was an ass, so technically it's just murder.

Lucas : ...

Lucas : That's not better!

[uncleweed]

KEN SLEIGHT, MOAB, RAFTING, WESTERN, PHOTOS, LETTERS, MEMOIRS

Source: KEN SLEIGHT PROJECT BOOK

KEN SLEIGHT COLLECTION - Letters, Stories, Photographs

Jane Sleight and a family friend, Greg Henning, launched a project in 2012 to collect letters, stories and photos from Ken’s friends.  Celia Alario digitized the collection and Martha Ham fashioned a printed scrapbook of sorts to present to Ken.  None of the submissions were edited.  The intent of this collection was to amuse Ken and celebrate his life of adventure and influence.

The book was presented to Ken in March 2014 at Pack Creek Ranch during a lighthearted gathering of 40 friends remembering the passing of Ken’s good friend Ed Abbey.

As it turns out, others want copies of the collection. Anyone interested in a copy may order on this web page.

The cost of the book is $35 which includes mailing, handling and tax.  Ken and Jane will hopefully receive a few dollars from the sale of each book.  All others involved have volunteered their time and efforts.

Please feel free to contact me if you have questions or suggestions.

[meuvasco]

...