22/25
Elwood Curtis’ college dream is shattered on a Florida two-lane highway. After bearing the burden of an innocent misstep, he is sentenced to the underworld of Nickel Academy, a brutal reform school deep in the American South. There he meets another student, Turner, who has seen it all. The two black teenagers form an alliance: Turner offers vital survival advice and Elwood maintains his optimistic view of the world. Against the backdrop of the burgeoning civil rights movement, Elwood and Turner’s existence seems a far cry from the polished oratory of the Reverend Martin Luther King. Despite Nickel’s brutality, Elwood struggles to maintain his humanity, which awakens a new vision for Turner.