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Narrative
Elwood Curtis’ college dream is shattered on a two-lane Florida highway. After bearing the brunt of an innocent misstep, he is sentenced to the underworld of Nickel Academy, a brutal reform school deep in the American South. There he meets another pupil, Turner, who has seen it all. The two black teenagers strike up an alliance: Turner offers essential survival advice, and Elwood clings to his optimistic worldview. Against the burgeoning Civil Rights Movement’s backdrop, Elwood and Turner’s existence seems far removed from the polished oratory of the Reverend Martin Luther King. Despite Nickel’s brutality, Elwood struggles to hold on to his humanity, sparking a new vision for Turner.