Boy A (film)

{{Short description|2007 film directed by John Crowley}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}

{{Use British English|date=February 2024}}

{{Infobox television

| image = Boy A Poster.jpg

| caption = Film poster

| director = John Crowley

| screenplay = Mark O'Rowe

| based_on = {{Based on|Boy A|Jonathan Trigell}}

| producer = {{Plainlist|

• Lynn Horsford
• Nick Marston
• Tally Garner

}}

| starring = {{Plainlist|

• Andrew Garfield
• Peter Mullan
• Siobhan Finneran
• Josef Altin
• Jeremy Swift
• Shaun Evans
• Katie Lyons
• Anthony Lewis
• Tilly Vosburgh
• Steven Pacey

}}

| cinematography = Rob Hardy

| editor = Lucia Zucchetti

| music = Paddy Cunneen

| company = {{Plainlist|

• Film4
• Cuba Pictures

}}

| network = Channel 4

| released = {{Start date|df=y|2007|11|26}}

| runtime = 106 minutes

| country = United Kingdom

| language = English

}}

Boy A is a 2007 British drama film directed by John Crowley, from a screenplay by Mark O'Rowe, based on the 2004 novel of the same name by Jonathan Trigell. The film stars Andrew Garfield in his film debut as Jack Burridge (né Eric Wilson), who is re-entering society under a new name in Manchester after having served 14 years in a Young Offender Institution; and Peter Mullan as Terry, Jack's caseworker. The novel is noted for similarities to the James Bulger case, whose offenders were released around the time of its publication.

Boy A had its world premiere at the 32nd Toronto International Film Festival on 8 September 2007.{{cite web|url=http://weblogs.variety.com/thompsononhollywood/2007/08/toronto-film-fe.html|title=Toronto Film Festival: Final International Line-up|date=15 August 2007|website=Variety|access-date=22 August 2021|url-status=unfit|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070825104524/http://weblogs.variety.com/thompsononhollywood/2007/08/toronto-film-fe.html|archive-date=25 August 2007|via=Wayback Machine}} It was released as a television film in the United Kingdom, airing on Channel 4 on 26 November 2007, and was theatrically released in the United States by The Weinstein Company on 23 July 2008. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, with Garfield winning a British Academy Television Award for his performance.

==Plot==

The film begins when Eric Wilson (Andrew Garfield) is released from a secure unit or prison under the name Jack Burridge. His past is told through flashbacks.

Eric befriends Philip Craig, who is a troublemaker and rescues him from a group of bullies. It is later disclosed that Philip had been raped by his older brother. Philip gets into an argument with a girl from their school who comes across the two boys loitering in a park. She criticizes them and refers to them as "scum" when she witnesses Philip vandalising a park sign with a Stanley knife. Philip approaches her and starts slashing at her forearms with the knife. He grabs the girl and drags her under a bridge. When Philip drops the knife, Eric picks it up, and follows them under the bridge. The girl is killed, although the film shows neither who kills her nor how. Eric (dubbed as Boy A during the trial) and Philip are remanded into custody at secure units. Philip ends up dead, assumed to be suicide, but Eric believes that he may have been killed by youth offenders.

Eric is later released and is guided by social worker Terry (Peter Mullan). Eric, shy and eager to be a good citizen again, builds up a new life under the name Jack Burridge. 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 otherwise have died after a car crash. An article in a local newspaper portrays him as a hero and includes a picture of both boys in the story. Eric wants to be honest with Michelle and reveal his past, but Terry urges him not to do so because it is too dangerous. Terry is afraid that people may attack Eric 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. The son discovers Eric's true identity from newspaper articles about him being released, his new role as the hero and information he looks up without permission on his father's computer. Out of jealousy, he reveals this to the public and as a result, Eric loses his job and his best friend Chris distances himself from him. Michelle goes missing, and people suspect that Eric is somehow involved, though it is later revealed she has sequestered herself at home, devastated about the revelation that Jack is actually Eric.

Eric repeatedly tries to phone Terry but gets his voicemail. He flees from his home to avoid reporters and travels to Blackpool. There he meets (or imagines meeting) Michelle, who tells him she was not the one who revealed his past and would have eventually understood if he told her the truth, and then leaves. After saying farewell messages in voicemails to Terry and Chris, the film concludes with Eric standing over the edge of a pier.