Boy A

Boy A is a 2007 British drama film directed by John Crowley, from a screenplay by Mark O'Rowe, based on the 2004 novel of the same name by Jonathan Trigell. The film stars Andrew Garfield in his film debut as Jack Burridge (né Eric Wilson), who is re-entering society under a new name in Manchester after having served 14 years in a juvenile prison, and Peter Mullan as Terry, Jack's caseworker. Boy A had its world premiere at the 32nd Toronto International Film Festival on 8 September 2007. It was released as a television film in the United Kingdom, airing on Channel 4 on 26 November 2007, and was theatrically released in the United States by The Weinstein Company on 23 July 2008. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, with Garfield winning a British Academy Television Award for his performance. Plot Andrew Garfield portrays Eric Wilson. The film commences when Eric is released from either a secure unit or prison under the name Jack Burridge. His past is told through flashbacks. Eric Wilson befriends Philip Craig, who is a troublemaker and rescues him 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 at secure units. Philip ends up dead, assumed to be suicide, but Eric believes that he may have been killed by youth offenders.