Hello, I'm Gilbert Cruz, editor of the New York Times Book Review, and this is the book review podcast.

Today, and for the next two weeks, I'm going to be talking with several Oscar-nominated directors and screenwriters, all of whom have films that are up for Best Picture.

And each of those films has been adapted from a novel or non-fiction book.

Today, I'm talking with Ramelle Ross, whose film, Nickel Boys, was adapted from Colson Whitehead's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Nickel Boys.

That book, and the movie both, are about a pair of black boys, Elwood and Turner, who find themselves in a dangerous reform school in the Jim Crow South.

There are four ways out of nickel. Serve your time or age out.

Court might and neveen, if you believe in miracles.

You could die.

They could kill you.

You could run.

Only four ways out of nickel.

Ross's film has been nominated for two Academy Awards this year, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Picture.

This is Ross's second film, and also the second time he's been nominated for an Academy Award.

He was also up for an Oscar for his documentary called Hale County this morning this evening. In addition to being a filmmaker, he is also a professor and an accomplished still photographer.

It's a delight to talk to you right now, Ramele. Thank you for joining the book review podcast.

No, pleasure, a pleasure to be a part of it. To start with, of course, I have to talk about the way that you made this movie.

Nickel Boys has a very particular style.

It's shot from the point of view of its main characters.

I've been comparing it to sort of like a first-person video game.

And I think it takes a minute or two to lock in, but once you do and once I did, I found it

to be a really special experience.

I wonder if you could talk about the style of the film.

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