Boy A (film)
Encyclopedia
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 premiered at the 2007 Toronto Film Festival.
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
.
), Eric Wilson, as he is released from prison under the name Jack Burridge. His past is told through flashbacks.
Eric Wilson (Alfie Owen) befriends Philip Craig who is a troublemaker who rescues Eric from a group of bullies. It is later disclosed that Philip is the victim of rape
perpetrated 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. Philip dies in prison, assumed to be suicide, but Eric believes that he may have been killed by other inmates. Eric is later released from prison and is guided by rehabilitation
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. Jack 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 Jack 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 Jack's past identity from newspaper articles about Eric being released, Jack's new role as a 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 that Jack is somehow involved, though it is later revealed she has sequestered herself at home, devastated about the revelation that Jack is actually Eric.
Jack repeatedly tries to phone Terry but gets his voicemail. He flees from his home to avoid reporters and travels to Blackpool
. There he meets Michelle, who tells him she was not the one who revealed Jack's 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 Jack standing over the edge of a pier.
.
Film adaptation
Film adaptation is the transfer of a written work to a feature film. It is a type of derivative work.A common form of film adaptation is the use of a novel as the basis of a feature film, but film adaptation includes the use of non-fiction , autobiography, comic book, scripture, plays, and even...
of Jonathan Trigell's critically acclaimed novel of the same name
Boy A
Boy A is the title of a 2004 novel by British writer Jonathan Trigell.-Premise:The book is the story of a child criminal released into society as an adult, taking its title from the court practice of concealing the identity of child defendants....
which shares some similarities with the notorious James Patrick Bulger case. The film premiered at the 2007 Toronto Film Festival.
It is directed by John Crowley
John Crowley (director)
John Crowley is an Irish television, theatre and film director. He is perhaps best known for his feature film debut Intermission .-Education:Crowley earned a B.A. in philosophy from University College Cork.-Career:...
and stars Andrew Garfield
Andrew Garfield
Andrew Russell Garfield is an American-English actor who has appeared in radio, theatre, film, and television. His early roles include the films Lions for Lambs, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, and Boy A, which garnered him the 2007 BAFTA Television Award for "Best Actor".Garfield achieved...
(who won the 2008 Best Actor BAFTA TV Award for his performance), Peter Mullan
Peter Mullan
Peter Mullan is a Scottish actor and film-maker who has been appearing in films since 1990.-Early life:Mullan, the sixth of eight children, was born in Peterhead in the northeast of Scotland, the son of Patricia, a nurse, and Charles Mullan, a lab technician who worked at Glasgow University. He...
, and Katie Lyons
Katie Lyons
Katie Lyons is a British actress, most noted for her performance as Naughty Rachel in the Channel 4 sitcom Green Wing...
. The North American cinematic release is distributed by The Weinstein Company
The Weinstein Company
The Weinstein Company is an American film studio founded by Bob and Harvey Weinstein in 2005 after the brothers left the then-Disney-owned Miramax Films, which they had co-founded in 1979...
.
Plot
We first meet Boy A (Andrew GarfieldAndrew Garfield
Andrew Russell Garfield is an American-English actor who has appeared in radio, theatre, film, and television. His early roles include the films Lions for Lambs, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, and Boy A, which garnered him the 2007 BAFTA Television Award for "Best Actor".Garfield achieved...
), Eric Wilson, as he is released from prison under the name Jack Burridge. His past is told through flashbacks.
Eric Wilson (Alfie Owen) befriends Philip Craig who is a troublemaker who rescues Eric from a group of bullies. It is later disclosed that Philip is the victim of rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
perpetrated by his older brother. Philip gets into an argument with a girl from their school who comes across the two boys loitering
Loitering
Loitering is the act of remaining in a particular public place for a protracted time. Under certain circumstances, it is illegal in various jurisdictions.-Prohibition and history:Loitering may be prohibited by local governments in several countries...
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. Philip dies in prison, assumed to be suicide, but Eric believes that he may have been killed by other inmates. Eric is later released from prison and is guided by rehabilitation
Rehabilitation (penology)
Rehabilitation means; To restore to useful life, as through therapy and education or To restore to good condition, operation, or capacity....
worker Terry (Peter Mullan
Peter Mullan
Peter Mullan is a Scottish actor and film-maker who has been appearing in films since 1990.-Early life:Mullan, the sixth of eight children, was born in Peterhead in the northeast of Scotland, the son of Patricia, a nurse, and Charles Mullan, a lab technician who worked at Glasgow University. He...
). 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
Shaun Evans
Shaun Evans is an English actor.Evans completed a course with the National Youth Theatre before relocating to London at the age of eighteen to study at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. His first major role was that of gay French teacher John Paul Keating in the Channel 4 comedy-drama...
), falls in love with the office girl, Michelle (Katie Lyons
Katie Lyons
Katie Lyons is a British actress, most noted for her performance as Naughty Rachel in the Channel 4 sitcom Green Wing...
), 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. Jack 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 Jack 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 Jack's past identity from newspaper articles about Eric being released, Jack's new role as a 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 that Jack is somehow involved, though it is later revealed she has sequestered herself at home, devastated about the revelation that Jack is actually Eric.
Jack repeatedly tries to phone Terry but gets his voicemail. He flees from his home to avoid reporters and travels to Blackpool
Blackpool
Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
. There he meets Michelle, who tells him she was not the one who revealed Jack's 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 Jack standing over the edge of a pier.
Cast
- Andrew GarfieldAndrew GarfieldAndrew Russell Garfield is an American-English actor who has appeared in radio, theatre, film, and television. His early roles include the films Lions for Lambs, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, and Boy A, which garnered him the 2007 BAFTA Television Award for "Best Actor".Garfield achieved...
as Jack Burridge - Peter MullanPeter MullanPeter Mullan is a Scottish actor and film-maker who has been appearing in films since 1990.-Early life:Mullan, the sixth of eight children, was born in Peterhead in the northeast of Scotland, the son of Patricia, a nurse, and Charles Mullan, a lab technician who worked at Glasgow University. He...
as Terry - Siobhan FinneranSiobhan FinneranSiobhan Finneran is an English television and film actress from Oldham in Lancashire, England.-Career:Siobhan's first major role was as Rita in the 1986 film, Rita, Sue and Bob Too. Since 2007 she has played Janice in ITV's popular comedy drama Benidorm, appearing in all 4 series and both specials...
as Kelly - Alfie Owen as Eric Wilson
- Victoria Brazier as Teacher
- Skye BennettSkye BennettSkye Deva Bennett is an English teen actress, best known for her role as Sarah in the 2008 film Dark Floors, as well as for her role as Martha in The Pillars of the Earth.-Personal life:...
as Angela - Katie LyonsKatie LyonsKatie Lyons is a British actress, most noted for her performance as Naughty Rachel in the Channel 4 sitcom Green Wing...
as Michelle - Taylor Doherty Taylor DohertyTaylor Doherty is a British actor. He played the part of 'Philip Craig' in the 2007 British film Boy A. Philip is an abused boy who makes friends with the main character of the film, also a young boy, Eric Wilson. Both boys are sent to prison for murdering a young girl, the same age as them, about...
as Phillip Craig - Shaun EvansShaun EvansShaun Evans is an English actor.Evans completed a course with the National Youth Theatre before relocating to London at the age of eighteen to study at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. His first major role was that of gay French teacher John Paul Keating in the Channel 4 comedy-drama...
as Chris - Anthony LewisAnthony Lewis (actor)Anthony Lewis is an English actor.Lewis began acting at just nine years old with early roles in many popular television shows, including Heartbeat, A Touch Of Frost and Cracker as well as a role alongside Brenda Blethyn and Julie Walters in the feature film Girls' Night written by Kay Mellor...
as Steve - Madeleine Rakic-Platt as Schoolgirl
- Josef AltinJosef AltinJosef Altin is a British TV series and movie actor. Altin had small roles in various TV shows and movies including The Bill, Peep Show and Babyfather...
as Bully - Jeremy SwiftJeremy SwiftJeremy Swift is an English actor. He studied drama at Guildford Drama school from 1978 to 1981 and worked almost exclusively in theatre throughout the 1980s, working with companies such as Deborah Warner's Kick Theatre company and comedy performance-art group The People Show...
as Dave - Helen Wilding as Carol
- Jessica Mullins as Catherine Thompson
Reception
As of December 4, 2010, Boy A currently holds a 89% approval rating based on 56 professional critical reviews on aggregator Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
.
Awards
- 2008 Best Actor BAFTA TV Award
- 2008 Hitchcock d'or at Dinard (France) British film festival
External links
- Boy A Movie - Official site