RaMell Ross has something to say. With his latest film, “Nickel Boys,” the co-writer and director solidifies his reputation as one of contemporary cinema’s most daring storytellers. Adapted from Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, the film unearths the haunting realities of a fictionalized reform school, blending visceral storytelling with an experimental approach that has captured the attention of cinephiles.

Known for his Academy Award-nominated documentary “Hale County This Morning, This Evening,” Ross’ unique lens, challenges the conventions of how stories about Black lives are told — and received. In a candid conversation on the Variety Awards Circuit Podcast, Ross reflects on the symbolism in “Nickel Boys,” the film industry’s treatment of Black stories, his dream collaborators, and the surprising possibility of working on a Marvel movie.

Listen below:

Ethan Herisse, Brandon Wilson, “Nickel Boys” (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/Courtesy Everett Collection)

Ross describes “Nickel Boys,” which had its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival,...