Boy A

Jack (Andrew Garfield) and another boy killed a schoolgirl when they were themselves children. He is released from prison at the age of 24, having been institutionalized for most of his life. Having been in prison since he was a boy, the world of work, women and adult responsibilities are all new to him but Jack has a bigger challenge. It is essential that his identity remain secret because the consequences can be horrendous for all parties involved. Under the fatherly mentor-ship of Terry (Peter Mullan) his parole contact and social worker, he experiences a coming of age, which would normally have happened years ago. But forces from the past are constantly upon him, as we learn more about the events leading up to the crime which has ruined so many lives, there is an increasing sense of suspense, intrigue and ultimately doom: the tabloid press and Terry’s real son are not going to let things lie.

In this regard Andrew Garfield does very well with an assured and convincing performance. His hopes are touched with fear and he brings this out really well, fearful of attention and unsure of himself in a world that he has never experienced as an adult. It is a great performance that is a key part of making this material challenging in knowing where “right” is. Mullan provides famous support and he does have an interesting character but he always feels like he is on the sidelines, offering his name as much as his performance to the film. Lyons and Evans are more useful and are convincing as people – it is only at the very end where the script hands Lyons a rather clumsy final scene where she appears to struggle. Special mention also to the two boys who play Eric and Phillip; both are excellent with difficult dialogue and characters and they both nail it – which was important for the film.

In the end, we know there has to be some type of revelation, and it is the degree of the pain that the revelation brings that we want to see and we dread all the time. We grow to like this young man. Maybe because he might not be very different from many in our world, maybe because he is another victim of a cold and fractured society. The film will open wounds in many who have been disappointed and hurt, and it will mostly teach a few people a lesson about what we can do to prevent any more tragedies like these from occurring again.

It’s really a great movie and you really should watch it.