Boy A

John Crowley's film Boy A is a masterwork of atmosphere and mood. Buoyed by the skillful cinematography of Rob Hardy, this is the type of film that draws in the viewer not with continuity of involving plots, but rather with pure emotion. Boy A is in reference to the label of Jack as a youngster who was sent to prison for the murder of a young girl. Part of the film is a flashback to the childhood friendship he has with Boy B in the case, which eventually leads to the murder of the girl. The other part of the film revolves around Jack as he deals with being released secretly back into society. With the help of his parole officer he finds a job, a friend and a girlfriend. The inevitable happens when his past is found out and the events afterward seem to fall too often into conventional territory. But this isn't a film about story so much as it is about mood. We feel emotional at Jack's character not necessarily because of his development and pitfull, but simply because the screen drips with it. The superb cast aids in this feeling and while the ending seems undeserved and hurried in a way, it doesn't take too much away from the power of the film.

3.5/5