Boy A

Could you ever feel sorry for the murderer of a child? Turns out I could.

Based on the eponymous novel by Jonathan Trigell, Boy A is a chilling and gripping tale of a young life gone all wrong. Andrew Garfield gives a remarkable (and BAFTA Award winning) portrayal of a young man, Jack, who is released back into society after spending some 10 years in prison for a murder he committed as a child. As he slowly gets settled in and tries to get used to his new life under a new name in a new place, he finds a job, friends, and even love. But he also keeps getting haunted by flashbacks of the past, and it turns out that he is not the only one who cannot forget.

This film, which bears some striking resemblances to the aftermath of the 1993 murder of James Bulger, left me angry and sad. Sad for a boy who can’t escape his past, and angry at a society that proudly calls itself “Christian” but doesn’t seem to know anyhing about forgiveness.

Boy A is available on DVD from Amazon.com. The Novel by Jonathan Trigell is available from Amazon.co.uk.