Boy A (2007)
The story of a young Jack, newly released from serving a prison sentence for a violent crime he committed as a child.
What a depressing movie, I found it nearly impossible to get comfortable watching it knowing what would ultimately be the ending. It didn’t make it any easier to watch though. That feeling of inevitable doom creeping over you is one that is hard to shake, it almost prevents you from enjoying the film itself. I suppose that’s the point.
Garfield was brilliant in this too, drawing you in with his naivety and innocent charm. It’s what makes it such a difficult watch, because the act that was committed is so heinous and disturbing, the stark contrast between then and now is quite jarring.
It raises questions around rehabilitation, forgiveness and media influence with respect to public opinion. All of which are timeless factors that seem to get pushed more into the public eye with each passing day. Can anyone be truly rehabilitated? Are there some acts you can’t forgive? There perhaps isn’t any right or wrong answer to the questions asked here, it’s entirely subjective whether you feel any degree of empathy or care for the person, but these are good questions to ask. They aren’t going away.
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