Creating Nickel Boys’ Special Look
Directed by RaMell Ross and adapted from Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Nickel Boys offers a poignant exploration of friendship, resilience and injustice. The feature dives into the lives of Elwood Curtis (Ethan Herisse) and Turner (Brandon Wilson), two African American boys navigating the harrowing realities of a segregated reform school, Nickel Academy, in the Jim Crow South. Through its evocative storytelling and immersive visual approach, the movie captures the intensity of their experiences with both intimacy and immediacy. Central to achieving the feature’s distinct aesthetic was cinematographer Jomo Fray, whose collaboration with Ross brought a unique perspective to the project.