Nickel Boys

Nickel Boys is the last of the Best Picture nominees that I watched this year, and definitely falls into the category of a movie that I wouldn't have watched if it hadn't been nominated.  Now that I've seen it, I understand why it was nominated, it's visual jazz.  Personally, I like a bit more organization to my movies, i.e. I like to have a chance to understand what's going on, and not be inundated by imagery that's meant to provoke certain feelings.  Even though visual jazz isn't my cup of tea, I did like certain elements, and I can see how different images, scenes, and situations would have different meanings for different people.  Personally, I like the scene where two boys have found a lizard (a Green Anole to be specific), and they're gently passing it to each other.  I liked how this scene told me something about the boys' characters, that they were inquisitive, and kind.  I also like the color palette of the film, as someone who currently resides in Florida, I can vouch to the accuracy of the greens, browns, and... no those are the colors.  I didn't like, and can't think of an example (other than video games) where the first person perspective if appropriate for such long stretches of time.  I found the technique to be distracting.  I understand that the director RaMell Ross likely was trying to capture the perspective of each character (as it switched between the two main characters), to match the book upon which the film is based, but it simply doesn't work.