Little fanfare surrounded Channel 4's no-holds-barred drama Boy A, a fictional piece with very obvious links to Jon Venables and Robert Thompson, the schoolboys convicted of murdering Jamie Bulger in 1993, and now on release under new identities.
This engrossing two-hour film dealt with one of the two boys who stood trial for the brutal murder of a female classmate when they were 10 years old.
It was alleged through a series of flashbacks that 'Jack' (Andrew Garfield) was easily led by his troubled, violent friend. It was the latter who instigated the attack on the girl, and it was never made clear what part 'Jack' played in her death.
As we followed 'Jack' adjusting to his new identity in the real world, a man in his early 20s acting like shy, confused teenager; he successfully held down a job, fell in love, and even saved a toddler from a crashed car.
Never portrayed as a whiter-than-white character, he became savagely violent to protect a mate after a post-party tussle. Then there were the confused fumblings and apologies with girlfriend Michelle (Katie Lyons) as he began his sex life about 10 years later than his peers.
It was easy to like 'Jack' as he went about living the most decent life possible, and he reasons with his social worker (Peter Mullan) that if the new people in his life care for him so much, they would understand if he revealed his past to them. It is always driven home to him to keep shtum at all costs.
In the end, it is a moment of spite from a surprise quarter which uncovers his real identity, and the man who is still so much a boy is left clinging to the side of Blackpool Pier, preparing to throw himself in to the depths as all the people he thought he could trust have dramatically peeled away.
There were scenes which hit you in the pit of the stomach, especially the violence in some of the flashback sequences. It's too early to say if Boy A will make people re-evaluate their stance on allowing children who kill back into society. Director John Crowley even chose to make the outside world look an incredibly bleak place to be, with much use of greys, beiges and murky skies.
All I could think of as the screen faded on the final shot of 'Jack' hanging from the wrong side of the railings is how the horrific events of one afternoon wasted three blossoming lives.
- Post to:
del.icio.us
Digg
Newsvine
Nowpublic
Reddit
« Previous | Home | Next »