Boy A

‘You can run away from your past but your past can’t run away from you’: This is the idea explored in ‘Boy A’, the story of a rehabilitated child murderer named Jack (Andrew Garfield) who is trying to escape the shadow of his wayward formative years. The plot draws stark similarities with the infamous James Bulger case in that it involves two young boys who stab a schoolgirl to death and then goes on to tackle the mainstream media’s concurrent rejection of their right to a new identity. Interestingly, director John Crowley decides to take a subjective standpoint on the matter, and the noticeable bias in his film does have the potential to offend. Yet, the focus on the inner torment of the protagonists and the naturalistic shooting style lend the film a quality similar to the work of Mike Leigh, as the film effectively captures dark issues and personal suffering with haunting sensitivity. In all, a poignant realist drama that will leave a big emotional impression.