Boy A (film)
| Boy A | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | John Crowley |
| Written by | Mark O'Rowe Jonathan Trigell (novel) |
| Produced by | Lynn Horsford |
| Starring | Andrew Garfield Alfie Owen Katie Lyons Peter Mullan |
| Cinematography | Rob Hardy |
| Edited by | Lucia Zucchetti |
| Music by | Paddy Cunneen |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | The Weinstein Company |
Release date | November 26, 2007 |
Running time | 100 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Boy A is a 2007 British film adaptation of Jonathan Trigell's critically acclaimed novel of the same name which shares some similarities with the notorious James Patrick Bulger case. The film premièred at the 2007 Toronto Film Festival.[1]
It is directed by John Crowley and stars Andrew Garfield (who won the 2008 Best Actor BAFTA TV Award for his performance), Peter Mullan, and Katie Lyons. The North American cinematic release is distributed by the Weinstein Company.[2]
Plot
A boy, Eric Wilson (Alfie Owen), befriends another boy, Philip Craig (Taylor Doherty), a troublemaker who rescues Eric from some bullies, who himself is the victim of rape by his older brother. One day Philip gets into an argument with a girl from their school who comes across them loitering in a park. She criticizes them, calling them "scum," when she sees Philip vandalising a park sign with a Stanley knife. Philip approaches her and starts slashing at her forearms with the knife for insulting him. He then grabs the girl and drags her down under a bridge over a stream. Philip drops the knife, and Eric picks it up, and follow them under the bridge. The girl is killed, although the film does not show who kills her or how.
Eric (dubbed as Boy A) and Philip both go to prison. Philip dies in prison, assumed to be suicide, but Eric imagines that he may have been killed by other inmates. After being released from prison, guided by rehabilitation worker Terry (Peter Mullan), Eric Wilson, shy and eager to be good again, builds up a new life under the name Jack Burridge (Andrew Garfield), not revealing his identity. He finds a job, befriends his colleague Chris (Shaun Evans), falls in love with the office girl, Michelle (Katie Lyons), and rescues a little girl who would have otherwise died after a car crash. An article in a local newspaper presents him as a hero, with photograph. Jack wants to be honest with Michelle and reveal his past, but Terry urges him not to do so because it is too dangerous. People may attack him because there is a reward of £20,000 for finding him. Terry argues that it is not dishonest because Eric is history and Jack is a new person.
The rehabilitation worker is less satisfied with his own son than with Jack. The son finds out that Jack is Eric from newspaper articles about Eric being released and about Jack the hero, the fact that his father once accidentally calls him Jack, and information he looks up without permission on his father's computer. Out of jealousy he reveals this to the public. As a result Jack loses his job, and his best friend Chris distances himself from him. Michelle goes missing, and people suspect Jack to be involved.
Jack repeatedly tries to phone Terry but gets his voicemail. He flees from his home to avoid reporters and travels to Blackpool. There he either meets or fantasises that he meets Michelle, who tells him she was not the one who revealed Jack's past and leaves. After saying farewell messages in voicemails to Terry and Chris, the film ends with Jack standing on the edge of a pier.
Cast
- Andrew Garfield as Jack Burridge (older Eric Wilson)
- Alfie Owen as Eric Wilson
- Taylor Doherty as Philip Craig
- Katie Lyons as Michelle
- Peter Mullan as Terry
- Skye Bennett as Angela
- Shaun Evans as Chris
- Leigh Symonds as Mr. Wilson
- Maria Gough as Mrs. Wilson
Reception
As of September 3, 2009, Boy A currently holds a 91% approval rating based on 53 professional critical reviews on aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.[3]
Awards
- 2008 Best Actor BAFTA TV Award
- 2008 Hitchcock d'or at Dinard (France) British film festival
References
- ^ "Toronto International Film Festival: Final International Line-up".
- ^ "Boy A Release information".
- ^ "Boy A Movie Reviews, Pictures". Rotten Tomatoes. IGN. Retrieved September 3, 2009.
External links
- Boy A at IMDb
- Boy A Movie - Official site