Impressionistic adaptation of Colson Whitehead's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel is a unique viewing experience, with a first-person POV camera shared between the two main characters. Ross' filmmaking style immerses us in the horrible conditions of the reformatory, yet also keeps us at a bit of an emotional remove. Regardless of how you feel about the style (Ross uses other avant-garde techniques throughout the film) it is certainly unforgettable and undeniably powerful. The Nickel Academy is based on the notorious Dozier School in Florida.

By Tom Alexander