The Real Story Behind 'Nickel Boys' and the Brutal Florida Reform School That Inspired the Film

The Real Story Behind 'Nickel Boys' and the Brutal Florida Reform School That Inspired the Film

Based on a Colson Whitehead novel, the Oscar-nominated movie dramatizes the story of the Florida School for Boys, which traumatized children as young as 5 for more than a century

Q&A: Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor speaks on Oscar-nominated film 'Nickel Boys' and why it matters

Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor speaks on "Nickel Boys" and its importance in a Q&A with USA TODAY.

The Real Institution Portrayed in Nickel Boys

As you may have gathered from the recent Honest Trailer, Nickel Boys is one of the lesser-hyped nominees for a Best Picture Oscar. The story is fictionalized, but is based on the true horrors of the Dozier School For Boys, earlier called the Florida Industrial School for Boys. The reform school opened in 1900 and operated until 2011. At first, juveniles were sentenced to the school for real crimes, but as time wore on, they could be sent there f…

Two PureWow Editors Watched ‘Nickel Boys’ and Were Shaken to Their Core—Here's Their Candid Take

*Warning: Spoilers Ahead* It's been a week since I watched Nickel Boys and I can't stop thinking about it. Directed by RaMell Ross, the Oscar-nominated drama brings Colson Whitehead's 2019 novel to life in such a powerful and intimate way, exploring themes of racism, trauma, friendship, resilience and hope. Through immersive filming techniques, it also sheds light on the horrors that occurred at the Dozier School for Boys—a real-life reform scho…

“Nickel Boys” is the first of its kind

Score: 4.5/5  RaMell Ross’ debut feature film is a moving, boundary-pushing piece that sets itself apart from anything that came before it.  Adapted from the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead, the film follows Florida teenagers Elwood and Turner during their time at the reform school Nickel Academy during the height of the Jim Crow era. The story draws inspiration from the Dozier School for Boys, a now closed refor…