Nickel Boys Flixtor: Elwood Curtis (Ethan Herisse), 16, resides in Tallahassee with his grandma Hattie (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor). He is an intelligent young man who is headed toward greatness in life when he ends up in the wrong place at the wrong time. After being falsely accused of stealing, Elwood is interned at the Nickel Academy, a juvenile institution for boys, where he is ostensibly taught the value of diligence and self-control. Elwood's optimism as a disciple of the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. is swiftly dashed by Nickel's reality.
In an attempt to survive the bigotry and physical abuse, he meets Turner (Brandon Wilson), a classmate who is nearly completely different from Elwood. They both know that any infringement will result in administrator Spencer (Hamish Linklater) removing them in the middle of the night for harsh beatings, or worse, even though Turner tends to push rules more than others.