No one believed them until someone else said it.” Readers encounter this sentiment early in The Nickel Boys, Colson Whitehead’s award-winning 2019 novel, not long after the unearthing of a bloody bit of history.

RaMell Ross’s drama—a remarkable one, about institutions, Black male friendship, social mimicry, and the Black political dream—feels shot through with the history of American image-making.

"Nickel Boys" hits theaters this week after winning three of the eight honorary awards announced by the African-American Film Critics Association last month. The film is a dramatic adaptation of Colson Whitehead's bestselling novel,